


The Militia

by Senie



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Smut, F/M, SessRin discussed in last 2 chapters, SessRin mentioned, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:20:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 54,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25578712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Senie/pseuds/Senie
Summary: The Higurashi's started a rebellion to take down Governor Naraku and his bigoted agenda to separate youkai and humans. When they were murdered in cold blood, Kagome vowed to find the man who did it and get justice. She's trained twenty years for this and the only thing standing in her way now is the Captain of the 'The Militia'.
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 38
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sess/Rin isn’t tagged but there is mention of them in later chapters. Just a heads up if you are trying to avoid that ship!

Revolutions never got to choose their names. They were usually just given. Whether it was by a catchy sound bite on the nightly news or whispers in the streets. So when the phrase ‘Shikon Rebellion’ was thrown around a few times, it seemed to just stick. 

Souta and Asako Higurashi were owners of a historical shine in the city of Shikon. They had grown up in the community and had decided to carry on the Higurashi tradition to upkeep the grounds. They lived a humble life but they were happy. And then their family was complete when their daughter Kagome was born. But it wasn’t long after that that the couple noticed a shift in the community. The crime rate was rising, the tensions between youkai and humans were becoming more violent and it was no longer felt safe to walk the streets at night. It all seemed to stem from newly elected Governor Onigumo Naraku. 

Souta Higurashi was the kannushi of the family, the one with spiritual powers, and he knew Naraku was no good the moment he saw the man. Souta knew Naraku was powerful but also knew he was shielding his true self. It wasn’t until Naraku passed heinous legislation that separated the communities of humans and youkai. This sent them back hundreds of years and the Higurashis could no longer sit back and watch these injustices happen. And so the Shikon Rebellion was born. The Higurashis were not the only ones who felt this way and their movement grew steadily in the shadows of Naraku’s city. And so it wasn’t long before they had a target on their back.

Kagome was eight when her life changed forever. Her parents always put the family’s safety over everything else, even their work with the Rebellion. But apparently they weren’t careful enough. The memories of that night never left Kagome. They played over and over again in her head for years as if a movie was imprinted on her mind. She was awoken by her mother, rushed down the hallway and then shoved into the vent near the kitchen wall. Asako quickly screwed the cover back into place and whispered,  _ “We love you Kagome.”  _

Her father answered the door a few moments later. Kagome hadn’t even heard a knock. “We thought you were one of Naraku’s men.” She heard the relief in her father’s voice. Someone walked into her house. By the sounds of the footfalls it was a man. Something crackled in the air too but Kagome didn’t know what. She stayed silent and listened. The two men walked into the living room. They were far away from Kagome’s hiding spot but she could just barely make out her parents' faces. Asako was waiting for them when they walked in. Her mother’s voice did not sound as relieved, “What are you doing here?”

The man said nothing. Kagome craned her neck but the man was not facing her. He was taller than both Souta and Asako and dressed in a black suit. He had long hair tied in a high ponytail but Kagome couldn’t make out the color of it in the dim light.

“What is wrong with your eyes?” Souta asked suddenly. His voice no longer sounded comfortable.

Before Kagome could look away, the man was running a hidden knife through her father’s chest. His face was filled with shock and pain as he looked up at the man before he fell to his knees. Asako screamed and ran to her husband. Kagome did everything in her power to stay silent, her father’s face burned into her mind for eternity. The man then turned to her wailing mother, “NO! Wh-why? Whyyy?!”

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and bit into her forearm. The same sound she heard come from her father was now being pulled from her mother’s body. The thud of the knife, the grunt from her mother’s throat, the squelch of the blood hitting the floor and then finally the sound of her mother crumbling to the ground next to her father. And then, there was silence. Kagome forced her eyes open, trying to see who did this to her parents. The man turned to leave but not before Kagome saw his profile. And she burned his face into her memory vowing to get justice for her parents. At the sound of the home’s door slamming closed, Kagome’s eyes shut again. She didn’t know how long it was before she moved. Looking through the vent grate, she saw her parents limp bodies on the floor together. Fearing the man would come back, Kagome tried to stay quiet but her body was rejecting that idea. Her chest hurt, her throat burned and she felt like she couldn’t breathe. What was she supposed to do?

_ “Repeat it again.” Her father’s voice was stern as he sat behind his desk, Kagome standing in front of it. _

_ “I grab the bag in the vent by the bathroom. Get a change of clothes. I take the money and buy a bus ticket to Sengoku. When I get there, use the phone in the bag to call Mushin.” Kagome had said the same phrase correctly countless times now. _

_ “And what do you say when Mushin answers?” _

_ “The weather next Thursday looks like rain.” _

_ “Good. Repeat it again.” _

The vent system of her house was larger than normal due to the year it was built. This made it easier for her eight-year-old body to maneuver through the walls to where the bag was hidden. The first thing she found in the bag was a tool to help her get the vent cover off. Her small fingers gripped between the metal slats so it did not clamor to the floor. Once she was back in her hallway, she debated her next move. She knew she needed to grab a change of clothes and leave at once. But her parents were just down the hall, unjustly slain. Kagome’s heart screamed for her to get one last look at them before she left, one last goodbye. But her brain told her she would never get the picture of their lifeless bodies out of her head if she did. Instead she closed her eyes, said a tearful prayer and whispered, “I love you too.”

The next thing Kagome could remember was the cabin where Mushin had brought her, far outside the small town of Sengoku. It was nestled in the woods at the base of the Northern Mountain Range and had beauty unlike Kagome had ever seen. There was another child there, an eleven year old boy named Miroku. He was quiet and reserved, not wanting to trust her at first. It didn’t take long before that changed. Not only did Miroku now have a training partner, he had a friend as well. (Living with a sixty year old man in the woods wasn’t always the most entertaining.) Kagome grew to love the cabin and her new family. They helped ease the sting of losing her parents so horrifically. Miroku has also lost his parents years before and was taken in by Mushin. 

Mushin was a gifted kannushi and he was happy to see that Kagome was gifted with her family's historical spiritual abilities. With his help she was able to harness her spiritual powers and become an forceful miko. One part of her training was learning to shield her powers from demons and other spiritual beings. Both for safety and for the element of surprise. Although Mushin was old, he still trained Miroku and Kagome hard. Miroku had some reiki in him but not nearly as much as Kagome or Mushin. He relied more on his combat skills than his spiritual prowess. The two sparred against each other, learned how to use different weapons and even how to add their reiki into those weapons. Kagome preferred a bow and arrow but was not opposed to throwing knives or daggers. Miroku usually practiced with a traditional staff but knew that wouldn’t be practical in a real fight. 

Kagome was fourteen and Miroku was seventeen when Mushin introduced them to firearms. That was a fun day. The mentor did not let them neglect their hand to hand training or the practice with other weapons but it was clear both teens preferred the powerful pieces of mental to anything else. And when Kagome was able to add her reiki to the bullets, she was unstoppable even against a youkai opponent. 

Twenty years Kagome stayed in those woods with Mushin and Miroku. And then, the morning came where Mushin did not wake up. Miroku and Kagome had sensed his reiki weakening for weeks but still they held out hope. The man was the only family Miroku ever had. And he had taken Kagome in during her most vulnerable moment. The pair gave him a proper burial and had to decide what was next for them. Without Mushin, Kagome knew it was time to begin her plan. And Miroku was more than happy to join her on her mission.

They took on the names Kagome and Miroku Houshi. Siblings orphaned by a car crash when they were children. With no family left, they grew up in the foster system, unwilling to be separated and therefore unadopted. The cover was sad enough that no one would dig into it. And even if they did, Miroku had made sure all the documents and government files would corroborate their story. Miroku was a good fighter but his true gift was with computers. Kagome didn’t know how he learned to do it but he could hack into any government agency, organization and security camera. If it used the internet, Miroku could get in. So it wasn’t hard for Kagome to keep tabs on what The Militia was doing and who its lower ranking members were. That’s all she needed to get in. 

Kagome was thankful Miroku was willing to help her. He had no dog in her fight but they were family and he wouldn’t leave her to do this on her own. The only clues she had were the man was most likely a member of the Shikon Rebellion considering how her father greeted him that night. And the mental picture of his profile. 


	2. Chapter 2

The resistance had changed since Kagome’s parents started it decades ago. The group used to stand for justice and liberty and fought against the atrocities of Naraku. But now, after keeping surveillance of the group for so long, Kagome was confused by what she saw. First of all, they went by ‘The Militia’ now and Kagome couldn’t tell  _ what _ they stood for. They just seemed like glorified pirates. Miroku had traced numerous incidents of stolen goods back to the group but there was no rhyme or reason. They hijacked semi trucks, infiltrated cargo ships and even ransacked airplane hangers. Miroku was never able to find  _ what _ they took or but the two just assumed they were items with high monetary value. All while the people of the Shikon community were still suffering, humans  _ and _ youkai, and The Militia wasn’t doing enough. If they were stealing from the rich, shouldn’t they redistribute the wealth back to the poor? All Robin Hood style or whatever? 

Despite all the negatives, they  _ did _ have power--connections--and she needed those to find someone. 

Moving back to the city of Shikon was step one of her plan. Miroku and her found a suitable apartment in the downtown area within walking distance to Slayers. That was step two of the plan. Although the leader of The Militia was impossible to track down, the high ranking members were not. Sango Taijiya: daughter of the owner of Slayers (the most popular nightclub in the city) and potentially the second in command for the organization. Sango spent enough time at the bar, helping run the family business, that Kagome knew that was her way in. Kagome also knew it was a central location for other members and Militia-related activities. When they posted a job listing for a bartender, Kagome knew the stars were aligning.

Kagome aced the interview process. Miroku had helped pad her resume with fake references and letters of recommendations and she spent hours learning how to make different cocktails. Kagome didn’t drink herself but Miroku was happy to taste test her concoctions. It probably wouldn’t have mattered because Mr. Taijiya loved her from the get go. He was a sweet man in his sixties (didn’t seem like the type to run a nightclub at all) and Kagome appreciated his quick wit. He spoke of his children Sango, his oldest, and Kohaku. Both helped out around the club, Sango acting as general manager while Kohaku was more interested in the bartending side. He was only twenty-two so his father wasn’t surprised.

_ “Sango is just going to love you, I know it!”  _ Kagome sure hoped so. Her whole plan was kind of riding on it.

* * *

It had taken one months to befriend Sango and only two more to really earn her trust. For a high ranking member of a secret gang-like organization, she really couldn’t keep her mouth shut. Sango spilled the beans to Kagome one afternoon while they were filling the shelves in the stock room. 

“Did your brother tell you about that asshole who was in here last night?” Kagome asked, while opening a new shipment of tequila.

“Yes! I’m so sorry that happened to you. Kohaku said you handled yourself really well though.”

“Sango, I punched the guy in the throat.” Kagome deadpanned, a bottle in each hand. 

Sango just laughed, “Yeah that’s ‘handling it well’ in my opinion.”

“I thought I was going to lose my job!”

“Oh please, Dad would have high five you if he were there. What did the guy even say to you?”

“I had just finished making a bunch of drinks for Ayame when this shithead chimes in with, ‘Can I get some service here or are you just going to spread your legs for all these fucking demons?’”

Sango froze at the vulgar insult, “Holy shit. Kohaku left that part out.” 

“Yeah well he wouldn’t have heard the jerk over the music. I could tell Ayame was about to step in when I told the guy he wasn’t welcome in our establishment anymore and told him to get the fuck out.” Kagome continued to stock the shelves as if she were talking about the weather.

Sango, however, was enthralled by the recount of what happened, “And then what?”

“He called me a fucking cunt and said he hoped I got raped by every dirty-blooded demon in the place.”

Sango audibly gasped, “Fucking hell! That when you punched him?”

“That’s when I punched him.” Kagome replied casually with a shrug. “I can’t believe these bigots just walk around town spouting their racist bullshit like it’s ok. I wish I could take them all down.”

Sango looked at Kagome with contemplation in her eyes. The asshat from the night before was no issue for Kagome, and it felt good to take some aggression out on someone filled with that much hate. Kagome turned back to the shelves but hoped this would be the thing that really got Sango to tell her about The Militia. Sango stopped what she was doing and grabbed Kagome’s hand. She dragged her back into the walk in freezer. Kagome instantly started rubbing her arms trying to warm herself up, “What the hell Sango?”

“Ok. I think you would be a great candidate for this... _ group _ I’m a part of.” 

_ Yes, this is it.  _ “Ok…” Kagome feigned suspicion.

“It’s kind of underground. And...maybe not so legal…”

“‘Not so legal’ as in drug running? Or like beating up racist assholes in back alleys? Because I’m not into the drug thing but I can definitely get on board with some ass kicking.”

“No drugs, and more sophisticated than back alley brawls.”

“Ok, so I  _ might _ be interested in something like that. But I’ll need some more details.”

“Let me talk to my people and I’ll let you know.”

* * *

That conversation was two months ago. And Kagome was growing impatient. She did her best not to bring up the topic, fearing she would seem too eager and therefore suspicious. So Kagome just kept working her shifts at Slayers by night and trained with Miroku in the day. She also continued to grow closer to Sango and other regular customers at Slayers that Miroku had confirmed were Militia members.

Surprisingly, Sango was actually a good person. That was not what Kagome was expecting from what she knew about The Militia. Sango was selfless and kind and it made Kagome feel  _ slightly _ bad about lying to her. She felt even worse when Miroku would come around Slayers and hit on the woman. But Sango could handle herself. Kagome took solace in the fact that most of what she told Sango was the truth. They’re discussions about life and morality and politics were authentic and Kagome never laughed harder than when Sango got going on one of her drunken stories. Miroku had been Kagome’s only friend and confidant for so long, having a woman to talk to was refreshing. 

Then, one morning, Sango texted her asking her to meet her in an hour with a location attached. She told Kagome to dress in workout clothes.

Her phone map took her to a location on the edge of town in an industrial district. The row Kagome was driving down looked run down and mostly abandoned. When her GPS announced she had arrived, Kagome couldn’t see Sango’s car parked anywhere. Using her reiki, she scanned the buildings for anyone she knew. She immediately recognized Ayame’s youki and one other demon, a strong one she had not met yet, coming from the warehouse to her left. She assumed Sango was there too but without any identifiable energy of her own, Kagome couldn’t be sure. But Ayame was a friend, and a member of The Militia, so Kagome got out of her car. 

Kagome was happy to see Sango and Ayame standing at a table across the open floor from the door she had just walked through. The pair turned and greeted her. The second demonic aura was coming from somewhere above Kagome, on the second floor of the warehouse. Kagome casually looked around and pinpointed the youki in the shadows of one of the corners. She did not let her eyes linger to give away her knowledge. Ayame would have easily sensed it too, and if she wasn’t worried, neither was Kagome.

“Think of this as your first test. Pick anything from the table.” Sango waved her hand at the items covering the tabletop. Katanas, knives, axes, even brass knuckles. 

“You can’t be serious. And I’m going to do what? Stab Ayame?” Kagome was good at playing the innocent little flower but honestly she was intrigued by this recruitment process. 

“You’d be lucky if you could get that close to me Kags.” Ayame smirked confidently walking to the center of the mat lining the floor. 

“I do love a challenge. Ok let’s go.” Kagome grabbed two daggers and slipped two throwing knives into her waistband when neither girl was looking. “Any ground rules I should know?”

“You both have to stay within the perimeter of the mat,” Sango gestures to the large wrestling mat Ayame was already stretching on. It was probably a twenty by twenty foot square with a large white circle painted on it. “Your goal is to draw blood from Ayame. Her’s is to render you unconscious. But hopefully you would tap before that happened.” 

“Seems fair. Ayame, any place you don’t want me to aim for?” Kagome chidded at the woman as she stepped up onto the mat.

“The face is the money maker but I’ll let it slide this one time.” She gave a grin that accentuated her wolfish features.

The fight started with a clap of Sango’s hands. Kagome waited at her side of the mat, she knew Ayame had to get close to her if she wanted to knock her out. And even though Ayame was a wolf youkai, Kagome was only slightly weaker than her in overall strength. It was her speed that was going to be the problem. Ayame was fast. Kagome’s reiki helped anticipate Ayame’s moves but if she couldn’t get a shot off it would be all for nothing.

Ayame struck first, just as Kagome expected. She did her best to dodge the woman’s punches but soon she took on a more defensive stance. Ayame was close enough to cut but Kagome was never given the opportunity to grab her dagger. Instead she opted for kicks and punches. Few landed, but they had enough force behind them that Ayame was affected. The two continued for far too long and sweat was dripping down Kagome’s neck. She could tell Ayame was holding back and it was annoying her. The next time Ayame stepped back, Kagome pulled out one of the knives and flashed it. Either Ayame was going to step her game up or Kagome was going to finish this  _ test _ . Kagome lunged forward, trying to make the redhead react. Ayame went for Kagome’s right arm that held the knife; she gripped her forearm, ducked under her and pinned it behind Kagome’s back. Ayame’s other arm curled around Kagome’s throat, cutting off her air supply. Exactly what she wanted. Kagome’s left arm was still free and went up to grab the back of Ayame’s head. She threw her weight forward, bent over and flipped the wolf over to land on her back on the mat. With Kagome standing over her. The wind leaving Ayame’s lungs was enough of a distraction that Kagome was able to slice the knife across the wolf’s arm. Blood pooled from the laceration and Ayame cursed. Kagome took a few steps back from Ayame and steadied her breathing.

Wiping the blood from the cut, Ayame narrowed her eyes and gave a determined snarl, “Best two out of three?” 

Ayame didn’t go easy on her the second time around. Her barrage of punches and kicks sent Kagome retreating backwards until she came to the edge of the mat. Not wanting to step off of the boundary, Kagome was off balance and tried to duck under Ayame to the open space. But Ayame caught Kagome with an elbow to her shoulder blades. Kagome stumbled and it was all Ayame needed to secure her dominance on top of her friend’s back. Kagome was pinned with her face in the mat. She could feel Ayame’s knees pressing into her biceps immobilizing her upper body. Kagome’s only hope was trying to flip the wolf with her legs but Ayame was too strong. Her arms caged Kagome’s head and she could feel her vision blurring. Begrudgingly, she tapped the mat with the back of her hand. Ayame released the woman and stepped back grinning.

Kagome took a moment to regain her bearings. Shaking her head to clear the fuzziness, Kagome looked over at Sango. She hadn’t moved from her position ten or so feet from the mat. Her arms were folded with one hand covering her mouth. If this was Kagome’s tryout to be accepted into The Militia, she couldn’t fuck it up.

Kagome knew she could easily win if she used her reiki. She also knew it was fairly difficult to simultaneously use her spiritual energy  _ and  _ shield it. But that’s what she trained for. She did not want Sango, Ayame or the hidden youkai above her to know of her miko abilities. As Ayame circled her, Kagome released a minute amount of her energy to flow from her center down into her arms and legs. When Ayame was in Kagome’s blind stop, she pounced. And Kagome was ready for her. She dodged her claws and kicked her leg out. Her foot hit the side of Ayame’s knee with a satisfying crunch. Ayame’s bright green eyes shot daggers at Kagome.

“No hard feelings right?” Kagome taunted.

Anger clouded Ayame’s judgement and her technique suffered. Playing right into Kagome’s hand again. Ayame clearly wasn't a seasoned fighter. But Sango must have thought her youkai blood would be enough of a challenge for Kagome. She was sloppy now and Kagome was able to land multiple hits weakening her even more. Taking the opportunity to grab her knife again, Kagome smirked at Ayame’s frustration. She ran at Ayame, being sure to stick to her injured side. Just as Kagome was bringing the blade down, Ayame jumped over her head. Turning quickly, expecting an ambush, Kagome was confused to see the mat empty. She could still feel Ayame’s youki near but she no longer stood on the mat with her. A laugh from above her drew Kagome’s eyes upward.

“You still in the perimeter of the mat?” Kagome asked indifferently.

“I am.” Ayame was hanging from a rafter forty feet above Kagome, her legs swinging teasingly. “What’s the matter Kags, why don’t you-UH.” Ayame’s sentence was cut off by a loud grunt. Which was due to the small knife lodged into her thigh. Ayame released her grip on the metal beam falling back down to the floor and landing across from Kagome. It was clear she was favoring her right leg. The wolf demon yanked the knife from her left thigh and examined it. The weapon was slender, perfectly balanced and made of black steel. There was a finger ring at the end of the handle and when Ayame looked back to Kagome, she was twirling an identical knife around her index finger with a confident smirk on her face.

Ayame ran her tongue over her fangs and flared her nostrils, “I’m heading to the bathroom to clean up.” She gritted out. “Good fight Kags.” She added as she walked away.

Kagome turned to Sango and walked towards the table to deposit her borrowed weapons.

“You think she’s mad at me?”

“If anything, she’s mad at herself. She knows she’s got work to do.”

“So...did I pass?”

“I’ll talk to my superiors and let you know.”

Kagome rolled her eyes, finding it hard to hide her irritation. “You’ve gotta be fucking with me Sango. You bring me to a shady ass warehouse, make me fucking _stab_ _my friend_ and then nothing? I don’t know about this shit.” Kagome turned to leave, hoping her bluff would draw more information out the girl.  


“Ok! Ok!” Sango’s voice called out.

Kagome turned back to Sango just in time to see the other woman shoot a glance to the shadowed corner where the hidden youkai was.

“Let’s sit.” Sango gestured to the mat. Avoiding the bloodied spots, the two friends sat down across from each other.

“We’ve discussed human and demon segregation in length. We’ve discussed social justice and political corruption. And you’ve mentioned a few times you wish you could  _ do _ something about it all. Well, this group...we do something.” Kagome stayed silent, wanting more. Sango continued, “It’s an old organization. My father was a part of the founding members decades ago and he instilled the core values into Kohaku and I as we grew up. And you seem to share those values. They fought against Naraku back then and sadly, we’re still fighting him today.”

Kagome’s body was on fire.  _ Sango’s father was a founding member. _ That means he knew her parents. Kagome knew he wasn’t the one who murdered them but maybe he had answers. This was her first real break. And then there was Naraku. So The Militia  _ did _ stand for something. Maybe all those heists were to thwart Naraku’s plans. That would be pretty amazing if you asked her. And something she could get behind.

“You know how I feel about Governor Naraku. If you’re trying to take him down, sign me up.”

“So it’s a little more complicated than that.”

Kagome sighed in agitation.

“Today was a step in the right direction. You greatly exceeded our expectations. But there is a process for these things. And I should tell you…your official initiation...if you choose to accept…” Sango grimaced and broke eye contact with her friend.

“What?” Kagome asked. Did she have to get a tattoo? Kill someone?

“You have to sleep with an active member.”

_ Oh. _


	3. Chapter 3

"Captain, Sango would like a word."

Inuyasha looked up from his computer to the kitsune standing in his doorway. It was well past midnight and he should have gone to bed hours ago but the young fox was still trying to convince Inuyasha to promote him from his secretarial job so he could get some more _field_ _experience_. Fat chance. 

"Send her in Shippo. And go home." Inuyasha closed his laptop and straightened the stack of papers he was currently working on, moving them to the side. Shippo grumbled as he turned down the hall. Sango appeared a minute later and closed the door softly behind her. 

“How did your reconnaissance go?”

“Went as well as expected. It’s all in my report. I’ll send it over to Shippo in the morning. But that’s not why I’m here.”

It wasn’t unusual for Sango to stop by his office but the scent coming off of her was. Nervousness…? Anxiety? Those were not things he was familiar with when it came to the demon slayer in front of him. Inuyasha’s back straightened, expecting bad news. 

“I need a favor. It's in regards to one of the ranks you just approved.” Despite her scent, Sango’s voice was strong. 

“Hmm,” Inuyasha reached for another stack of papers near the corner of his desk. He flipped through some of the sheets until he found the one he was looking for, “Houshi, Kagome. You’ve been trying to push her to the top of the pile for months now.” Inuyasha let the statement hang. 

“Kagome is a...friend. She's one of the good ones Yash. And...I would never compromise our... _initiation protocol_ but-“

Inuyasha sighed, turning away, ready to shut Sango down. “You know the bylaws. We can’t change them for-” 

“I need _you_ to be the one to initiate her.” Sango interrupted her superior. 

Inuyasha froze, his eyes shooting back to Sango’s face. He was met with a pleading desperation in her brown eyes. Again, this was not a familiar thing he was used to with his friend. “You know I don't do that.”

“I know it's been years Inuyasha, _I know_. But please. For all those times I saved Kouga’s ass. Or when I defused that detonator when you couldn't. Or hell, when I helped you put together your IKEA furniture last month. I wouldn't ask if it was anyone else.”

Inuyasha couldn’t stand this version of Sango. He was just thankful he didn’t smell any tears coming. Already regretting his decision, Inuyasha rubbed his eyes, “Fuck. Ok. But we are square now.” Moving his claws to scratch the back of his neck, “Does she know what she is getting herself into?”

“It was the first thing I told her.”

It was a long standing tradition that the only way into the Militia was in a bed and the only way out was in a box. It seemed barbaric but the initiation process stood. Even as the organization’s Captain, he had no power to change it. 

“Yash, there's something else you should know.” 

Sango’s scent held a twinge of sadness, “Hmm?”

“This- _you_ will be...her first.”

Another piece of Inuyasha's stone cold heart chipped off at those words. He had seen his fair share of death and destruction in his 30 years of life. But he knew there was still hope. Still innocence in the world. And it didn't deserve to be sullied by the likes of him. 

"Sango..." Inuyasha’s head thud against the back of his chair, dread flooding through him. 

"I have already done everything in my power to dissuade her from this. That's why I came to you. I know you will do this right."

Bittersweet pride filled Inuyasha’s chest. Clearly Sango cared about this girl. And for her to trust him with something so important—so delicate—he couldn’t turn her down. 

“I will have Shippo set the appointment.”

* * *

“You have to _WHAT_?”

“Oh my god Miroku, lower your voice.” Kagome was mortified enough at the fact that she actually had to fuck someone to officially join The Militia, but telling the man that was practically her _brother_? Kill her now. The last thing she needed was their neighbors calling the cops for a noise complaint. 

“You cannot do this.” Miroku stood and started pacing through their living room. Kagome didn’t miss the fact that he wasn’t looking at her anymore. 

“I can and I am. If this is the way to get in, it’s a small price to pay.” Kagome kept her voice level even though her mind was screaming that she agreed with Miroku. 

“ _A small_ -“ Miroku’s voice was on the verge of exploding. He cut himself off and took a breath, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands. “Fucking hell Kagome.”

“I’m 28 fucking years old Miroku. If anything it’s embarrassing I _haven’t_ yet. Plus the protocol is no one can ever discuss the initiation process after the fact. So we all just pretend it never happened. I’m good at that.”

Miroku gave her a sad look, “I just- I know I can’t tell you what to do. I just don’t like it.”

“You’ll have to do the same thing if I can get you in.”

Despite the nausea he was feeling Miroku gave a forced smirk, “Do you think you can get Sango to do the honors?”

Kagome punched him in the shoulder. 

* * *

“This is so fucking stupid. I thought no other members were permitted to know about the specifics?” Kagome was livid but her body held control over her internal fury. Sango had somehow intercepted her appointment card and was holding the location hostage. To the point where Kagome was forced to drive with her. Like Sango was her fucking mother driving her to meet a boy at the movie theaters. “You're only making it so much worse by doing this.”

“I just-“ Sango stopped herself and bit her lip. She hadn’t looked Kagome in the eye the entire car ride. First Miroku now Sango. Their pity was suffocating her. 

“Aren't you supposed to be some demon slaying badass? Get your shit together Taijiya.” Kagome’s stoic voice was cracking, her agitation ready to burst through. 

“I called in a favor. For your initiator. He will...you’ll be in good hands.” God that sounded so sexual but what else could she say? 

“ _Jesus fucking Christ!_ ” Kagome gritted our, her nails digging into her jeans.

Sango only sighed in response. Kagome's shield was up again. She had only known the woman for seven or eight months now but it had taken most of that time to bring some of her defensive walls down. Yes they talked and laughed but whenever family or the past was brought up Kagome’s demeanor shifted. Sango had done her research on Kagome when her father employed her at Slayers. She had not expected such a tragic backstory. Sango sympathized with Kagome but she also knew Kagome had to be the one to bring up her family. If she knew Sango had dug into her history that would only push Kagome further away. 

That afternoon Kagome sparred with Ayame was the most vulnerable Sango had ever seen her. The last thing she expected was for Kagome to reveal she was a virgin. The pair sat on that mat for two hours and for the first time in months, Sango felt like Kagome was open and raw. That made this whole thing so much worse. 

Sango had fought to change the horrible bylaw since the day she joined. But to no avail. The original members apparently had made it a part of the “membership foundation”. Whatever the fuck that meant. And it remained unchangeable. Bullshit. 

Sango wanted to protect Kagome. That’s why she was interfering with her meeting. If Inuyasha knew, Sango would be so fucked. They had already broken protocol with this set up but this was taking it too far. She just needed Shippo to keep his mouth shut. 

However, Sango was regretting her decision. She had thought she was helping. The thought of Kagome driving to this meeting alone, it didn’t sit right with her. But Kagome was more closed off than the day Sango met her. At least that day Kagome was polite. Sitting in the passenger seat, Kagome angled her body away from Sango. She was rigid and cold and Sango should have never done this. Kagome was fully capable. Hell, that’s why she was approved to join the Militia in the first place. 

The longer the car ride took the more Kagome was regretting ever telling Sango she was a virgin. She didn’t have girlfriends, she didn’t know what were appropriate topics of conversation! It was humiliating enough being required to _sleep_ with someone to join this stupid fucking gang but now Kagome just wished the front seat would swallow her whole.

Sango was the one that told her members were restricted from talking about initiation. It was to “protect the team”. It was a test of loyalty. They didn’t need some asshole walking around bragging about the chick he smashed the night before. It would only undermine their members. The scheduler, the initiator and the new member were the only three to know of the interaction. It was kept professional and dignified.

Kagome was feeling anything but dignified at the moment. Her embarrassment was now a painful ache in her stomach as Sango threw the car into park. 

“If you step one foot out of this vehicle I will fucking slight your throat myself.” Sango was not surprised by the controlled fury in Kagome’s voice. She just hoped this wouldn’t ruin their new friendship for good. 

They sat in front of the nicest hotel in Shikon: The Crown Jewel.

“Here.” Sango handed Kagome a small cardboard envelope with ‘P1’ written on the outside. The room key was an elegant skeleton key made of heavy metal. 

“Call me when-“ Sango started weakly. 

“Not in your wildest fucking dreams.” Kagome’s cold voice cut in. 

Before Sango could say anything else, Kagome had slammed the car door shut. The demon slayer just sat there for another moment, staring out the front window and berating herself for the mess she made. Then suddenly Kagome’s face was back in the passenger window, “I'll text you tomorrow ok?” Her voice was much softer now and Sango gave her an encouraging smile. 

* * *

Even though Sango gave her the key, Kagome felt weird just walking right in. Instead she knocked. She could feel youki on the other side of the door. But there was something strange to the energy. He was...hanyou? And when the hotel room door opened, her suspicions were confirmed. 

His eyes were the first thing she noticed. Bright amber, like liquid gold, unlike anything she had ever seen. They just stared at her and she felt her self-consciousness jump to the surface. His nose twitched and she knew he could _smell_ her nervousness. Which only furthered her embarrassment. Determined to push the feeling down, Kagome schooled her features and said the code phrase to identify herself, “The orange trees are in bloom.”

“Only in Florida.” The tall man responded. His voice was like velvet. 

_At least he’s attractive._ Kagome thought as he stepped aside and gestured her into the room. “My lucky day.” She mumbled. 

The man arched an eyebrow and smirked a little before he let the door slam shut. The two triangle ears on top of his head swiveled and Kagome knew immediately that he was a dog hanyou.

“I’m Inuyasha.” His name was a _little_ on the nose wasn’t it?

“Kagome.” She turned away from him to look around the room. Well _room_ wasn’t the right word. Apparently the P on the key stood for penthouse. The place was bigger than her and Miroku’s apartment and Kagome suddenly felt wildly underdressed in her distressed jeans and casual blouse. But, then again, she would be naked soon anyways. Her stomach dropped at the thought. 

“Would you like a drink?” Inuyasha had moved further into the penthouse and stood behind the wet bar on the other side of the living area. 

“No,” Kagome said curtly, “thank you.” She quickly added. She never drank. She almost wished she did because she needed something to take the edge off. But the thought of not being in full control during _that_ was her nightmare. 

She didn’t miss the two double shots he poured for himself. But he was also a hanyou so she knew it wouldn’t affect him the same way. As he was preoccupied with the liquor, Kagome openly admired him. She wondered if Sango requested Inuyasha solely because he was so attractive. He was tall. Kagome guessed at least six feet. And his body was well taken care of. He wore a t-shirt and fitted jeans but the bulging of the sleeves and pant legs told her of strength beneath. His long silver hair was pulled into a thick ponytail at the back of his head with his fringe hanging in his eyes. And the dog ears on top of his head seemed to never stop moving. _Well if I have to lose my virginity to someone, it’s not like he’s half bad..._

Kagome was plenty familiar with youkai. Although she had never met a dog demon in person, she had studied them with Mushin. Good vision, great hearing, even better noses. If you wanted to take one down, you went for their sense of smell. Inuyoukai lived by pack mentality so she was not surprised he was a part of an organization like The Militia. Inuyasha was the first hanyou she had ever met. They were becoming more common in the last few years as more humans and youkai formed romantic relationships. But even a few decades ago, they were treated horribly. Seen as an abomination by both groups, never fitting in with either. There were still many people, Governor Naraku included, that believed humans and youkai should not cohabitate and definitely _not_ reproduce. He had tried drafting laws to ban interracial marriages but thus far he had failed. However, because Naraku was so outspoken on the topic, his faithful followers were finding more confidence in their bigotted hate towards hanyous and interraced couples. It pissed Kagome off. Which made her feel more connected with her parents. They hated Naraku’s policies and that’s why they formed the Shikon Rebellion. Kagome wanted to follow in their footsteps.

“So how does this work?” Kagome’s voice came out louder than she intended. Especially since she knew he could hear her even if she whispered.

“Um well,” Inuyasha wiped his hands on his pants, “would you like to sit?” He gestured towards the couch between them.

Kagome looked at the furniture and walked around it to sit down. She sat on the edge, as far away from Inuyasha as she could get. God this was so fucking awkward.

“Are you sure you don't want a drink?” Inuyasha cocked his eyebrow and grimaced slightly.

_Fuck I must reek of anxiety._ “I’m sure.”

“How about a game then?” 

Kagome looked at him skeptically, “A game?”

“Hn, let’s call it an ice breaker. Ask a question, get an answer.” Kagome just searched his face for a hint of any funny business. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, “Lie if it will make you feel better.”

Kagome felt her cheek twitch, “Fine.”

“Ladies first.”

“Where are you from?”

Inuyasha snorted, “Strong start. The Western Lands. Why do you want to join the Militia?”

A multitude of things flashed through Kagome’s mind but she settled on, “Justice.” She didn’t specify that the justice was selfish and not for the common goal of The Militia. “How long have you been a member?”

“10 years. Have you ever killed anyone” Inuyasha’s eyes searched her.

Kagome was not expecting a question like that but did not hesitate to answer truthfully, “Yes.” She waited a beat to see Inuyasha’s reaction. A slight twitch of his nose and she knew he would smell no lie. “What did Sango tell you about me?”

Kagome saw Inuyasha falter, “Uh-hh. Nothing.”

Forgotten fury overtook her body and Kagome was standing in an instant, “She fucking told you?” her voice was a deadly whisper and it took everything in herself not to release her reiki. 

Unfazed, Inuyasha stood to walk back to the bar, “I think it’s my turn to ask a question.” Kagome did not sit down. “So, Why haven't you?” he asked.

The scent of rage stung Inuyasha’s nose and he almost regretted asking that. When he looked up at her from behind the counter her steel blue eyes were slits, “I don't do commitment.” She growled out. 

Of course there was a reason she was a 28 year old virgin. It was the vulnerability that Kagome feared. In a room with a stranger. Bare of any weapons and armor. No barrier between her and another person. And Kagome had spent far too much time building those barriers up to let them down for fifteen minutes of pleasure. She knew her way around her own body anyways, who said you needed a man?

Inuyasha smirked and a fang poked out of his mouth, “Well, you know you don't need a committed man to get _that_.”

Kagome hated the focus on her and her sex life (or lack thereof), “How many times have you done _this_?”

“Just the once. When I was initiated.” 

_That’s strange. Why isn’t he ever assigned to initiate new members?_

Inuyasha didn’t want her to focus on his lack of experience initiating. It might lead to her discovering his rank in The Militia. “Are you nervous?”

“No.” Kagome answered curtly.

“Did that make you feel better?” He asked, implying she was lying.

Kagome looked away, “No.” When she looked back up at him she asked, “Do you want to play a different game?”

“Ok.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: adult content (you know what I mean)

“Peach.”

“Rhubarb.” 

“Key lime.”

“Lemon meringue.”

“Shepherds.”

“Shepherds?” Kagome asked, full of confusion. Then she realized and burst into laughter. It felt good to laugh. Especially at something as dumb as a category game. That round was pie flavors. “Ok I lose, you pick the next category.”

“Ok, let’s do...sodas. Pepsi.”

“Coke.” Kagome countered.

“Sprite.”

“Sierra Mist.”

“Dr. Pepper.”

“Mr. Pib.”

“Mountain Dew.”

“Baja blast.”

“You're just copying every one I say!” Inuyasha accused her and Kagome grabbed her belly as she laughed again. A smile quirked at the corners of his lips. He had to admit, she had a great laugh. And she looked even more beautiful now than she had when she walked in. And he was happy to notice her alluring scent was no longer tainted with nervousness and embarrassment. 

“Ok my turn.” Although Kagome wasn’t having the  _ worst _ time playing a stupid category game with Inuyasha, her eyes flashed to the decorative wall clock behind his head. They had already been here for an hour and all their clothes were still on. Kagome’s smile slowly faded. They were there for a specific purpose, and even though Kagome’s skin crawled at the thought, she really did just want to get this over with. This was just another box she had to check to get her justice. 

“New game.” She said instead of a category. She reached into her back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a quarter she had found on the ground earlier. “Flip the coin, loser takes off a piece of clothing.”

“Although I love this idea,” Inuyasha grinned at her, “before we start I think it’s time to set down the ground rules.”

“That’s fair.”

“You’re aware it is prohibited to discuss tonight with other members, correct?”

“Yes.”  _ Thank god _ she thought. She never wanted to think about it again. Let alone give Sango the play by play. “Do you have protection?” Kagome countered his question.

“Yes. Are you on the pill?”

“I am.” Kagome did not have any other pressing questions or ground rules to specify. She thought she probably should, but it's not like she was experienced in this area.

“Do you want to kiss?”

“Do I want...to kiss?” Kagome was not expecting that and couldn’t school her baffled expression.

“I’ve heard some members choose not to for...intimacy reasons.” 

_ I thought members weren’t supposed to discuss this shit.  _ It hadn’t occurred to Kagome if she wanted to kiss him or not. She just assumed it was a given. Now she just felt like she was in Pretty Woman. Her mind ran through a thousand scenarios in a second and she came to the conclusion that kissing would take away some of the awkwardness. What do you do if you’re not kissing? Where are you supposed to look? She felt like a fucking child.

“How do  _ you _ feel about kissing?”

“I quite enjoy it.” His words sent goosebumps down her legs and Kagome couldn’t help but look down at his lips. When Inuyasha noticed, he purposefully licked his lips and exposed one of his fangs. Kagome’s eyes shot back up to his and he wiggled his eyebrows to tease her. Forgetting the idea of the coin, Kagome quickly crossed the couch to Inuyasha and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. Pulling him down so their lips met, Kagome released all her fear and embarrassment in the kiss.

Inuyasha met her instantly, curling one crawled hand into her hair while the other went to the small of her back. The kiss was heated and rough and Kagome revelled in the distraction. Letting her body lead, Kagome pushed his shoulder so his body rested against the back of the couch and she swung a leg over his waist. Letting her hands roam over his body, she was not disappointed by the sinewy muscle that flexed beneath her. She wanted him to touch her. So, to help stir him on, Kagome reached up and started to unbutton her blouse, revealing a black lacy bralette. She dropped the shirt to the ground and was happy when Inuyasha started to kiss down her jaw and throat, nipping and licking as he went. The bralette was low cut and she loved the feeling of his fangs scraping across the top of her breast.

“One last thing.” Inuyasha mumbled between bites.

“What?” Kagome grounded out, not in the mood to talk anymore.

“Because of your  _ predicament _ ,” Kagome’s nostrils flared at his insinuation and jerked her body away from his mouth. Inuyasha brought his head back up to her level and continued softly, “would you allow me to...make you comfortable?” 

She sure as shit didn’t want to feel  _ un _ comfortable during this but that wasn’t going so well thus far. But Kagome got the feeling he meant  _ physically _ uncomfortable and not socially. She tried to cool her attitude and respect his sentiment, “I would...appreciate that.”

The pair continued to stare at each other for longer than necessary. Kagome would have normally felt awkward but his eyes did something to her and her body felt like putty. Finally Inuyasha looked down at her exposed torso and traced a claw down the strap of her undergarment. “I like this.” His voice was husky and Kagome remembered that he was wearing far too many clothes. Without warning, she ripped his shirt up and over his head and ogled his chiseled chest and abdomen, “I like  _ this _ .” she returned.

His amber eyes darkened and he surged forward to meet her lips again. This time, Kagome did not hold back her exploration of his body. Scratching and squeezing his hardened muscles, a picture of him hovering over her in bed shot through her mind and she squirmed. She knew Inuyasha smelled her arousal when he held her by her rear and stood up from the couch. Kagome instinctively wrapped her legs around his stomach, never breaking their kiss.

Still holding onto Kagome, Inuyasha kneeled on the king sized bed until they reached the middle and then he laid her down softly. Her skin was on fire and Inuyasha’s mouth was not helping. She no longer wanted her jeans on and she prayed he would remove them soon. His mouth returned to her breast but still only teased them, leaving the bralette in place. Then he trailed his lips down her toned stomach and to the hem of her pants. But then he stopped.

“If you don’t take them off, I will.” Her voice gave the frustrated command. That was all he needed to hear. Kagome didn’t understand how he got her skinny jeans off so smoothly but at that moment she did not care. She was laying on a bed, in just her bra and panties with a gorgeous man hovering over her. 

Kagome had to be the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her midnight hair was spread out around her in a dark halo and her lithe body was calling to him. But it was her scent that had his member stressing against his jeans. When she first walked in, he was drawn to it, he had never smelt anything like her in his life. But now, with her arousal filling the entire room, he didn’t know how he would ever forget that scent. He wanted to drown in it, but he would settle for a taste. Inuyasha’s mouth found its way to her thigh, kissing up towards the junction at her hips. The farther up he went, the more Kagome spread herself to him. Inuyasha finally reached her black lacy underwear and couldn’t resist shredding them at the sides, ruining the fabric for future uses. With the last barrier gone, Inuyasha inhaled her scent again. She was already dripping from her sex and his mouth watered at the picture she painted.

Still staying in control, Inuyasha looked up at Kagome for consent to what he was about to do. Her steely eyes shone brighter in the dim lights of the bedroom and her head gave the slightest nod. His mouth found her inner thigh and latched onto it, biting harder than he had previously. A weak sigh left Kagome’s mouth and Inuyasha couldn’t help his pride from swelling. His middle finger traced the outer edge of her folds, making sure to keep his claw out of the way. He could feel her squirm with anticipation, he couldn’t wait any longer either. He widened his tongue and stroked long and slow up her entire sex, ending at the bundle of nerves at the top. Kagome’s head slammed against the mattress and her back arched in pleasure. Inuyasha repeated the action once, twice, three times before Kagome was trying to buck into his mouth. At that point Inuyasha focused his mouth on her clit, swirling his tongue and increasing the pressure every so often. Kagome tried to bite the back of her hand, not wanting to be vocal but he was sending shock waves through her body with just his mouth and she couldn’t hold back.

Her keens and moans drove him to the edge. He wanted her to scream and know he was the only one to give her that pleasure.

Inuyasha’s left claws scraped down the back of her thighs, overriding her sensory intake. Her hands found purchase gripping the duvet cover they laid on. She needed something to ground her before she lost control. But Inuyasha continued his onslaught and Kagome’s eyes slammed shut curses falling from her lips. She had never felt pleasure like this before and she thought she knew her body pretty well. His tongue vibrated against her clit and she could feel the tightening sensation in her abdomen. Building, building. His mouth never ceasing, his warm tongue continuously moving. And then, she felt his knuckle at her entrance. Of course he had to be careful of his claws but she was fine with this alternative. A loud gasp tumbled from her lips when he pushed inside of her. It wasn’t deep but it was enough to snap the last hold she had over her body. It was like every muscle in her body constricted at once. Inuyasha’s tongue quickened to meet her core’s spasm until it was finally too much. Kagome’s barefoot met his shoulder and pushed him down the bed and away from her.

She kept her eyes closed and she tried to control her breathing. But she wanted to bask in his afterglow for as long as she could. No toy could ever compare to  _ that _ . He may have just ruined her. The smallest smile graced her lips at the thought. 

Inuyasha sat back away from Kagome, giving her time and space to recover. Fuck, he had never been so aroused doing that to a woman before. The way she looked, the sounds she couldn’t control and her fucking scent. This was not good. But fuck it was the best thing to happen to him in a decade. And then she smiled in her post-orgasm stupor and his ego would never be the same. When her eyes finally opened again, the steel blue was alive and he was painfully reminded of the straining in his jeans. 

Without saying a word, she sat up and crawled towards him. He didn’t move, afraid of scaring her off. She sat on her knees and kissed him again. It was slower but held far more confidence than their previous ones. Her lithe hands reached for the button on his jeans and unzipped the fly. It was little relief to him but he would not rush this. She sat up higher, bringing him up too so she had more room to push the clothing down his hips leaving his boxer briefs in place. Just the brush of her hands on her thighs was enough to tighten his abdomen but when she finally grasped his members over his underwear, Inuyasha’s clawed hand gripped her wrist. 

Kagome pulled back from him surprised. Had she done something wrong? She may be a virgin but she knew  _ some _ stuff. But when she looked at Inuyasha’s face he didn’t look mad, he looked absolutely wrecked. 

“Are you sure you want to do this Kagome?” His voice was no louder than a mumble but everything about him was so loud. She had never heard her name spoken like that and her throat ran dry. 

“Yes.”

The hand holding her wrist, released and went to the back pocket of his scrunched jeans around his thighs. Pulling out a square foil package Kagome knew was a condom. Her hand, still touching him, squeezed and his head rolled to the side. “ _ Fuck _ .”

“I think that’s the plan.” She teased in a whisper. 

He smirked at her, revealing his fangs and pulled her into him for another kiss. Her teeth bit into his bottom lip and he couldn’t restrain himself any longer. He broke the kiss and then moved to the side of her to lay on his back. Planting his feet on the mattress, he lifted his hips up to remove the rest of his clothing. Kagome’s eyes widen at his sudden nakedness. His hips and thighs were just as muscular as the rest of his body but her eyes couldn’t help to be drawn to the hardness pressing against his stomach. 

It all became so real in that moment. He seemed harmless with his pants still on, even as he lapped at her sex. But now, oh god. 

“We can stop at any time. You say the word and we’ll stop.” His voice was so tender she regained some of her confidence. And she sent a silent thankful prayer to Sango. 

She looked into his eyes, he was already staring at her blushed face, “I want to do this.” Her voice was firm. She watched him tear the wrapper open and roll the condom onto his member. He pumped himself a few times and Kagome took note of his technique and pressure. 

“I want you to have control. For whatever you need.” Inuyasha held out the hand closest to Kagome for her to take. 

She carefully straddled his waist, sitting back on his upper thighs to stare at his erection. If she was honest, she didn’t know how he was supposed to fit in her and that freaked her out a little.

“It’s ok, we will go as slow as we need to.” She didn’t know if she hated or loved that he could smell her every emotion. But his reassurance was sweet nonetheless. Before she moved, Inuyasha reached to the side table for a small plastic bottle. He squirted the thick liquid into his hand and coated the condom with it. When she thought he was done, he leaned up on his elbow, his abs flexing at the movement and reached for her core. She watched his eyes, not his hand. And just before he smeared the rest of the lubricant onto her he looked up at her too. His hand froze and his eyes silently asked for permission. Kagome’s head gave the slightest movement and she felt his fingers rub the liquid over her folds. Inuyasha wiped the remnants on the duvet and placed both hands on Kagome’s hips. 

Kagome put her hands on Inuyasha’s strong chest and lifted herself up. Inuyasha moved his left hand to his member to line up with her opening. His hips stayed firmly planted on the bed and he watched as Kagome slowly lowered herself onto him. First it was just this head. And when that didn’t hurt, Kagome went a little farther. The more she took of him the more  _ filled _ she felt. It was a new sensation but she was thankful it wasn’t outright painful. It  _ was _ tight and certain angles felt more comfortable than others. But after a few minutes of adjusting she was lowered completely onto Inuyasha and she could feel him reaching deep inside of her. 

When Kagome slid the rest of the way down onto his erection, Inuyasha’s head arched back and his fangs clenched, “Fuck, you-“ but paused, rethinking what he should and should not say. 

“What?” Fear spiked in her scent and Inuyasha felt guilty for making her think something was wrong. 

“You just feel so fucking good.” Inuyasha grounded out as he looked up to the beautiful girl above him. The blush started at Kagome’s chest but it wasn’t long before her entire face was bright red. 

Kagome didn’t move quite yet. She was still becoming accustomed to his size and testing the different minute movements she made. Some women on the internet said the first time was excruciatingly painful, like muscles ripping apart from each other. Kagome was relieved that wasn’t the case with her. Finally feeling ready, she looked back down at Inuyasha. He was just staring at her. Wide gold eyes boring into her like he could see her soul or something. He must have smelt her uneasiness because he reached up to her face and pulled her down to him for a kiss. It was soft and warm and had Kagome sighing into it. 

She pulled back to her previous position above him and reached behind her to finally remove her bralette. Inuyasha’s hands were there the second the fabric was removed and Kagome felt herself tighten around his member. His eyes closed briefly and he let a puff of air out through his nostrils. Although she wanted to focus on his touch, the deviant side of her wanted to test something. Purposefully tightening her inner muscles, Kagome watched as Inuyasha’s head pushed into the pillow and his fangs clenched.

Kagome couldn’t help the small, amusing sound that came from her throat. Inuyasha didn’t miss it either. 

“Tease.” He growled out. Kagome’s smile grew and then she lifted herself off of Inuyasha and slowly returned back down. Kagome continued those movements, agonizingly slow, for what felt like an eternity. But each time was a brand new sensation for both of them. Kagome was relishing in the dragging of their bodies against each other while Inuyasha was crumbling beneath her. Each stroke he felt could be his last. He had never done anything  _ slow _ in his life but fuck, this woman was opening a brand new world to him and he never wanted it to stop. And then she started moving faster. Her hands had moved to below his pectorals and her strong arms flexed with each of her recoils. Inuyasha moved his arms to her hips to help in her movements but he never took control. He kept his body in place on the mattress and let her lead. 

Small beads of sweat had started to form on her chest and he was enthralled by the singular drop that rolled between her breasts and fell onto him stomach. As he followed it, his eyes landed on where their bodies were connected. The eroticism of watching her slide up and down his shaft was unlike anything he had seen and he so badly wanted to thrust into her as hard as he could. But he resisted, knowing that wasn’t right in this moment. Instead he focused on her pleasure and what her body was telling him. Kagome’s walls had been erratic around him in the last minute and her keens were growing in volume. She was close, that he was certain. Moving his right hand from her waist, his thumb found her sensitive nerves and pressed lightly onto it. A breathless moan escaped her and her motions stuttered. Inuyasha’s thumb continued swiping back and forth over the nub even when Kagome was no longer moving above him. Her chin fell to her chest and his nails dug into the flesh of his obliques. 

The tightening sensation was different this time with Inuyasha sheathed inside her. It was deeper, fuller. Like she was getting pleasure from two separate locations. She was so close, she bounced her body on his, giving shallow strokes to get her over the edge. Then his thumb pressed just a fraction harder and her was coming undone on him. 

Kagome’s inner walls flexed around his erection and Inuyasha’s mind went blank. Squeezing him, pulsing on him, all he wanted to do was thrust into her until he reached his own release. But he stayed still beneath her. When Kagome finally came down, her eyes were glazed in pure sedation. Inuyasha was infatuated with that look. Nothing could compare to it. And then her body was being removed from his and the fantasy was over. He had done his part and she had gotten  _ some _ pleasure out of an unfortunate situation. 

“Your turn.” Kagome shifted off of him only to move to her knees and elbows. Inuyasha, still in his previous position, just stared at her, dumbfounded. When he registered what she meant he sat up and tried to object, “You don’t have t-“

“Shut up and show me what you can really do.” Her voice commanded and Inuyasha felt more blood move to his already hard member. 

Done objecting, he positioned himself behind her, gripping her hips. That position put her dripping core on display for him. The room was saturated with their mingling scents and Inuyasha had a hard time focusing. 

“You say the word and I’ll stop.” 

Her sex was still slick from her two orgasms and Inuyasha slid into her smoothly. She was so tight Inuyasha felt a lightning bolt shoot down his spine. Kagome’s back arched and she lowered her head to the mattress, changing the angle to something earth shattering. Her walls quivered around him and he resisted the urge to thrust into her. 

_ “Inuyasha.”  _ The way she said his name had his inner demon pushing to the surface.  _ “Fucking move.” _

Inuyasha felt his fangs elongate in his mouth and knew the jagged purple marks had appeared on his face. He could not lose control but this woman was making it hard for him to stay grounded. He thrust into her with a little more force. After a few strokes he again increased his power, filling her to the hilt and was met with the sweet sounds of her sighs and moans. Those sounds stirred Inuyasha harder and faster. He knew she was ok when she started pushing her body back to meet him stroke for stroke. It didn’t take long for Inuyasha to feel the tightening of his sack and he knew he was close. Wanting to feel her cum around him again, Inuyasha reached his hand around Kagome’s waist, his middle finger finding her clit once again. Her knees spread farther apart and breathless affirmations fell from her lips. Kagome’s hands fisted into the bedsheets and broken words fell from her lips, “I’m- I’m-“ but she couldn’t finish the thought. Inuyasha knew she was close and he could feel his own release just on the horizon. Then he felt the now familiar feeling of her walls spasming around his member. Kagome’s orgasm was the only smell that filled his nostrils and made his head spin. Now he didn’t hold back. Her already tight sex milked him, begging for his release. And then his vision bled red and everything else fell away. The only thing he could feel was his member driving into Kagome over and over again. He had no other control over his body. The command to bite Kagome was being screamed by his demon and his other clawed hand gripped into her long hair, exposing her slender neck. When his orgasm shot through him, Inuyasha leaned down to press his chest to her back, his fangs ready to sink into her. But, suddenly, a burst of  _ something  _ cleared Inuyasha’s head and he was completely unaware of what he was about to do. Instead, he kissed her shoulder roughly, “Oh my god.” He muttered into her skin. 

Kagome’s body had never felt so tired yet so alive. Her brain was still fogged and she hadn’t even noticed Inuyasha flop next to her on the bed. She was still lying on her stomach with her eyes closed when he spoke softly.

“I’m going to jump in the shower.”

The last thing he wanted to do was wash her scent from his body but he was giving her the opportunity to leave. This was an awkward enough situation to begin with, he didn’t have to make it worse by hovering. The penthouse shower was a thing of dreams and he admired the architecture and design to try and keep him mind off the woman in the other room. He had no idea how long he had been standing under the rainfall shower head when he heard the bathroom door open. He cursed himself. Kagome probably wanted to clean up before she left. It was selfish of him to go first. Inuyasha was leaning his hand against the wall in front of him, his back to the glass door when he heard it snap open. Kagome entered and turned on the second nozzle to his right. 

Inuyasha forced himself not to look at her. His duty was complete. She was an official member of The Militia and now it didn’t feel right to stare at her naked form. But he couldn’t shut his nose off. Her arousal mixed with his was overpowering and he could not control the blood rushing to his member again. They had only just finished and yet he was standing at attention again. Inuyasha closed his eyes and tried to breathe. He didn’t want her to think he expected more from her. That wasn’t right. But the only images in his mind were of her above him, her squeezing him, her sliding up and down on him. 

His provocative thoughts distracted him so much that he didn’t even notice Kagome was behind him until her arm snaked around him to palm his stiff erection. Inuyasha grunted at the sudden pressure and grabbed her forearm.

“Maybe we should just double check that I’m  _ really _ initiated.”

Inuyasha whirled on Kagome, picked her up and had her pinned to the wall in less than a second. Her strong legs wrapped around his hips giving him the perfect position to slide into her. But before he could, he realized with a curse, “I don’t have a condom.” He grunted.

Kagome reached over to the shampoo shelf for the foil wrapper she had brought with her into the shower. Inuyasha gave her a wicked grin before he tore the package open with his teeth. With the condom securely in place, Inuyasha wasted no more time as he entered Kagome for the third time that night. And it was just as good as the previous times. She felt perfect to him and he never wanted to lose that feeling. 

With her back pressed against the shower tile, and the hot water still pouring down on them, Kagome felt far more wild than previously. The pleasure was like a drug and she just needed more. Kagome begged him  _ “Harder!”  _ and  _ “Faster!”  _ and when he obliged, her moans turned into cries and her nails dug into his shoulders. But her favorite part was his thumb connecting with her clit, rubbing tight circles until stars were shooting off behind her eyes. 

His name fell from her lips without permission but it was the only thing Inuyasha wanted to hear for the rest of his life. He thrusted into her orgasm a few more times before his body shuttered and exploded. 

The pair stayed in their position as they caught their breath, Inuyasha still buried within her and water pouring all around them. When he started to soften, he moved her away from the wall and lowered her. The two continued to stare at each other as the water beat down on them. Kagome gave him a genuine smile and muttered, “You get cleaned up.” And then Inuyasha was alone in the shower. 

Inuyasha’s mind was a mess. And he took an extra ten minutes in the water to collect himself. There was something about that girl that called to him. Called to his inner demon. And their intimacy in the shower was just for  _ them _ , not for The Militia, not for initiation (despite her words). And Inuyasha didn’t know how to feel about that. He already yearned to have her again. But as the Captain of The Militia he couldn’t put her in that position. She didn’t even  _ know _ he was her Captain. And he was sure when Kagome found out, she wouldn’t be too happy. It was essentially sleeping with your boss. 

But they had this penthouse until eleven the next morning. And if Kagome wanted to indulge in their adult cravings a few more times before that, Inuyasha did not have the constitution to refuse her. But he  _ would _ tell her he was the leader of The Militia before they were together again. 

When Inuyasha stepped out of the shower and dried off, he wrapped his towel around his waist, smirking at the thought of it being removed soon anyways. But when he exited the bathroom, his nose twitched. He had already memorized Kagome’s scent but now the penthouse only had the remnants of it. Inuyasha had to make sure. 

All of her clothes were gone, the only thing that was left was a note written on the hotel pad on the bed. 

_ Thank you. _

Inuyasha felt like a fucking idiot. 


	5. Chapter 5

**_"Pack what you need for two days. I’ll pick you up at 5:00pm."_ **

It had been a week since Kagome was officially initiated into The Militia. And this was the first time since then that Sango had texted her with some type of vague wording. It was similar to when she sparred with Ayame so Kagome was forced to believe that this was Militia related. The overnight bag was a curveball though.

“Miroku!” Kagome yelled from the kitchen, “I’m gonna be gone for a couple days!”

* * *

Sango had been driving outside of Shikon for twenty minutes now. The city limits were long gone and they were now in the countryside. Some houses dotted the scenery but the landscape was mostly untouched. It varied between rolling, green hills and large patches of tall Noble Firs. When Sango turned down an unmarked dirt road, Kagome couldn’t hold her tongue anymore, “Are you going to murder me out here?” She joked, trying to get the real answer from the other woman.

“Shut up.” Sango rolled her eyes with a smile, “You’ll see when we get there.”

Sango drove for a few more minutes until they reached a thick cropping of trees. Once the car was surrounded, Kagome was reminded of all those years in Mushin’s cabin. This felt comforting to her. Sango took one more turn that Kagome would have never seen and the trees around them cleared. Kagome looked out the window at acres upon acres of lush green grass, obviously meticulously cared for, with tall trees skirting the property line.

The worn road led in a straight shot to what Kagome could only describe as a compound. She could see three large farmhouse style buildings at the end of the road but she had a feeling there were more hidden behind them. The first one on the right was clearly the garage. With six fucking doors. Did one guy need six cars? It was also three times deeper than any normal garage should be. The building was tall enough that there had to be something on top of the garage too. 

_ Bet it’s just more fucking cars. _

The picture of a vending machine type mechanism came to her mind. Sango didn’t say anything about the buildings so Kagome stayed silent while continuing to appraise them. 

Sango parked near the garage, making sure not to block any of the doors. Heaven forbid he couldn’t get one of them out. As Kagome exited, she looked across the courtyard to the smallest of the three buildings. It was modest, the size of a two bedroom house. 

_ Probably the shoe closet.  _ Kagome thought bitterly. All her fears about what The Militia had turned into since her parents created it were coming to fruition. She followed Sango silently to what was clearly the main house. Kagome grew up lower-middle class, lived in a cabin for two decades and then moved into a two bedroom apartment with Miroku.  _ This _ was literally the biggest house she had ever seen. It was like something out of a shitty celebrity magazine. It could have easily been three stories but Kagome knew how much rich people loved their tall ceilings. The front door itself had to have been ten feet tall but Sango opened it without any issue. 

Walking into the foyer, Kagome was annoyed at how right she had been. The ceilings were at least twenty feet tall.  _ Unnecessary _ . And the crystal chandelier hanging down was far too ironic to be taken seriously. Everything was bright and white and suspiciously clean. But it was the staircase, the  _ big ass, fucking, stupid _ staircase, that Kagome couldn’t help but gawk at. It was hard to miss since it was kind of the focal point of the room. It started just on the other side of the foyer with wide steps that led to a landing where the stairs split in opposite directions to separate sides of the upstairs.

_ This is some real Beauty and the Beast shit. _

Sango continued to lead the way around the staircase to a large room hidden behind it. Kagome could sense about 20 or so demons throughout the house but only a few stood in the great room when they entered. Kagome assumed there were humans as well but none of them had any reiki to sense. It was the few hanyous she could sense that had her insides flipping. Kagome immediately knew none of them were Inuyasha, but she  _ was _ painfully aware she would most likely see him tonight. Sango was the only person who knew he was her initiator, and even that was too much. Kagome would act like she was meeting him for the first time and she just hoped he was a good enough actor. Kagome was also thankful his scent on her was long gone since that night. That’s all she needed, every demon in this place  _ knowing _ . God, her insides were waging war on itself, confused about how she actually felt. She didn’t want to see him, but fuck did she want to see him. She was embarrassed and nervous and clammy. Kagome didn’t  _ do _ clammy. Inuyasha was the only person in this world that knew her intimately and it was like he took a piece of her that night. But, fuck, she would give it to him again if he asked nice enough. 

Flashes of the hotel room ran through her mind without permission and Kagome couldn’t help the heat that flowed through her stomach.  _ No _ . There were youkai everywhere and they would be able to smell her if she indulged in those memories.

_‘Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light. What so proudly...’_ Kagome repeated the song’s lyrics until all visions of Inuyasha were gone from her mind. 

As they walked farther into the great room Kagome shifted her focus to the extravagance of the new area. It was even worse than the foyer. And it was really starting to piss Kagome the fuck off. She knew the struggles of the Shikon people. Naraku was raising taxes on small businesses, changing zoning codes to push people out of their homes and had increased police presence in low-income neighborhoods. The unemployment rate was on a steady incline and the shelters were to capacity with people needing a place to sleep. The Shikon Rebellion had started to help people in need. And it was twenty years later and that asshole was  _ still _ in power reeking havoc on the community. What were these people doing? Eating bon bons by the pool while they collected their ‘protection fees’? 

  
“This is where the weekly meeting takes place.” Sango gestured to the fifty chairs set up in the extravagant room, all facing the fireplace on the right hand wall. The thing was taller than she was for fuck sake. The back wall was nothing but window, floor to ceiling and there were comfortable looking couches and sofas pushed to the left of the room that some people were congregating around.

“We’ve got some time before it starts so let’s-”

“Sango!” Ayame called when she noticed the pair. She trotted over with a concerned look on her face, “There’s an issue with some of the equipment out back, can you come help me take a look at it?”

“Uh, yeah ok. Um…” Sango looked at the other occupants by the couches, “Kouga!” She called, beaconing the man over. A tall wolf youkai sauntered over, his long dark ponytail swishing behind him. Kagome instantly recognized his youki as the one hiding on the balcony the day she sparred with Ayame.  _ Interesting. _

“This must be the new blood.” He stuck out his tanned arm, “Kouga.”

Kagome shook his hand, “Kagome.”

“Kouga, will you show her around the place while I help this one?” Sango flicked her head towards Ayame.

“Try not to electrocute yourselves!” Kouga called as Ayame and Sango walked outside through the glass door on the back wall.

“So has Sango given you the rundown of how things work around here?” Kouga started walking to the adjoining room on the left.

“She’s been pretty vague leading up to tonight. She did just mention a meeting though.” Kagome made it sound like more of a question.

“Sunday nights are our weekly meetings. Cap goes over the previous week and the objectives for the coming one. Members can present any pressing matters but usually it goes pretty quick. Then whoever isn’t on shift heads home.”

“Cap?” Was this a Marvel movie?

“Oh yeah, sorry, Captain.” Kouga corrected. “He’s in charge around here. I’ll take you to his office if we have time before the meeting starts.”

“And the shifts?”

“You’ll be assigned to the A or B shift. Shippo should have that information for you tonight. Shifts last 48 hours and you’re required to sleep here on site. After your shift you’re off for the next 48 hours. It’s rare that we get called in to help with a mission on our days off but it’s not unheard of. If something comes up or you're sick or whatever, you’re responsible for getting someone to cover your shift.”

“All right.” Kagome said. So that explained the overnight bag Sango told her to pack. It also explained why this house was so fucking big. If they needed enough rooms to house all the members then maybe this Captain didn’t live here all by himself. The pair had left the great room and were heading towards what Kagome assumed to be the kitchen. But before they reached it they were met with the dining room. Strangely this room was far cozier than any other part of the house Kagome had been in. The walls were painted a creamy gray and the ceiling had beautiful exposed beams running across it. The table in the middle was the focal point as Kagome scanned the number of chairs: twenty-four. There were even two in the back corners, it seemed, as extras.

“Yeah, we like to eat together.” Kouga laughed. He kept walking to the other opening across the dining room as Kagome admired the table. It was warm cedar wood and had a rustic trestle design to match the exterior architecture of the house. The chairs matched the table perfectly with off white upholstery covering the seat. Kagome could see the sun was just starting to set through the picture windows that covered the wall to her right. It was homey and her frustration was slowly easing. 

“And here is where all the magic happens.” Kouga flourished his arms to present Kagome with the gigantic kitchen. Standing there, she felt like she was on some HGTV show. The design was immaculate and she again felt very out of place. The white marble island caught her eye first. It was absurdly long with six bar stools at the far end of it. There was a sink and a range along with countless white cupboards and drawers. The cabinetry surrounding the island matched but had matte black quartz countertops instead. There was a second sink under a grouping of windows and two more ranges under a large hood on the opposite side. Tucked in the back corner was a refrigerator you would expect to see at a five star restaurant with a frosted glass door next to it. The pantry she assumed.

“This is the cleanest you will ever see it so don’t get used to it.” Kouga mumbled. Kagome stayed silent and took it all in. It was all so weird. “Shippo is in charge of doing all the shopping. They love him at Costco.” Kouga snickered. “So if you want anything just write it on the list.” He pointed his clawed finger at the lone notepad magneted to the gargantuan fridge. 

“Shippo seems to do a lot around here.”

“Oh you don’t even know the half of it. Let’s head upstairs and I can show you the living quarters.” Kouga turned to the set of stairs in the left corner. Kagome hadn’t even noticed the alcove behind her. 

“So Ayame says you have a brother who might be interested in joining too?” Kouga asked without looking back at her.

“I don’t know if he’s interested in joining or just interested in being initiated by Sango.” Kagome smirked and rolled her eyes. Kouga snorted, “Well he’ll have to get pass step one before the Captain will even consider him.”

“So can I watch from the balcony too?”

Kouga’s step on the stair faltered for only a moment, “Saw me there did ya? Thought I was being pretty sneaky.”

Kagome ignored his baiting question, “Miroku and I trained together growing up so he should be able to handle himself well enough.”

“Well if he can handle a demon the way you did Ayame he should be joining us real soon.”

“It wasn’t hard to see Ayame isn’t a seasoned fighter. She’s got some fire in her though.”

“Yeah.” She didn’t miss the genuine smile on Kouga’s face as they reached a long hallway. “These are some of the rooms.” Kouga’s voice lost the bit of warmth it had and was back to his strong vibrato. “Each one is numbered along with the occupants' names, just so there’s no confusion. It’s not a written rule but genders tend to separate up here. Let’s see, where is Sango’s room…” Kouga’s voice trailed off as he checked each door for the woman’s name. “Here! You’re in luck, if you’re assigned to shift A the girls have an open bed in here.” Kouga knocked on the thick door and waited for an answer.

“It’s open!” An unfamiliar voice yelled from the other side.

“Rin? I thought your name was on there just as a formality. Sesshomaru let you out of his sight?” Kouga teased.

“Ayame let you out of hers?” The woman shot back quickly. 

Kagome couldn’t help but laugh at Kouga’s balk. A woman who looked to be about twenty-five sat on the bottom bed of the huge built in on the left side of the room. It was made up of four full sized beds, two stacked on top of each other, with a narrow set of stairs between them leading to the top bunks. 

“I’m Kagome."

“Rin. Sango’s told me all about you. Glad to have you aboard.” Her smile was sweet and Kagome could easily tell it was genuine.

“You girls have a free bed in here?” Kouga asked even though he already knew the answer.

Rin pointed to the top bunk diagonal from her and smiled, “Sango called in a favor and you’ll be on shift A with us so that one is all yours.” 

_ Sango sure does have a lot of favors doesn't she? _

“That’s the closet and the bathroom is through there,” Rin pointed to the two closed doors on the other side, “And don’t worry, they’re both plenty big for the four of us.” That, Kagome didn’t doubt that. Before the conversation could continue, both Kouga’s and Rin’s phones chimed with the same sound.

“Duty calls.” Rin sighed and stood up. Kagome noticed her long brown hair fell over her shoulders in designed layers before she threw it up into a quick messy bun. She was dressed casually in heather gray joggers and an oversized, cream sweater with the front tucked in. The whole scene gave a very college dorm room vibe. Or, at least, what Kagome imagined what dorms to be like, since she never actually went to college.

“I’ve gotta head down and finish some things up before everybody sits down, Rin will take care of you though.” Kouga waved as he ran out of the room.

“Thank you!” Kagome called after him even though he was already gone. Demon hearing and what not.

The walk back to the great room was slow as Rin continued to show Kagome around the upstairs. She pointed out another hallway of sleeping quarters, the laundry room and the  _ four _ different media rooms. Four seemed excessive. “These idiots can ever agree on what to watch.” Rin rolled her eyes. The pair finally made it back to the main staircase leading to the foyer. “This staircase is only good for one thing,” Rin mumbled to Kagome as if it were a secret. Before she could even ask what the other woman meant, Rin was hopping onto the elaborate banister and sliding down to the bottom floor. Kagome cocked an eyebrow as an amused grin colored her face. When Rin landed at the bottom, she turned with a glowing smile back to Kagome.

“Well?” Rin called up expectantly.

Kagome rolled her eyes playfully. Following Rin’s example, she gripped the banister and jumped back so her rear was in the middle of the wood. Without any help, she started to slide down, picking up speed as she went. When Kagome reached the bottom both girls were snickering.

Sango appeared out of nowhere with an unimpressed look on her face, “Let’s go, it's about to start.” She whispered.

“The training facilities are out back but we can check those out after the meeting.” Rin whispered to Kagome as they followed Sango into the great room. Most of the chairs were now filled with Militia members. Kagome recognized a good chuck from Slayers but most she had never seen before. 

Even though Kagome couldn’t sense Inuyasha, she still scanned the room just in case. Nothing. She followed Rin and Sango to the back row and sat down. All the other members were quiet but no one stood in the front to lead the meeting.

“I thought you said it was starting?” Rin leaned around Kagome to stage whisper at Sango.

Sango sighed, “I just sent Shippo to go get him.” Kagome didn’t miss the quick glance Sango gave her.

Another minute passed and Kagome could finally feel Inuyasha’s youki getting near. The Captain wasn’t here yet to start the meeting. Inuyasha wasn’t here either. 

_ Fuck. No no no.  _

Kagome’s scent smacked him in the face the moment he opened the main house’s front door and he suddenly forgot what he was saying to Shippo. 

“What time?” Shippo asked, annoyed.

“What?” Inuyasha’s voice was lighter than it had been when they were walking outside. He had been practically yelling and now it was like he had been hit on the head. 

Shippo glared at the older man, “What time do you want to start training tomorrow?”

“Oh- um, 6:00am.”

“Ok…” Shippo typed it onto his iPad and just gave the older man a weird look.

“Go sit down Shippo.” Inuyasha commanded while he stayed frozen in the foyer. When Shippo disappeared behind the staircase, Inuyasha closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose. She was everywhere. He couldn’t escape it.

Fuck. He needed to get his shit together. He had a meeting to run.

Kagome felt sick when she finally saw him walk to stand in front of the fireplace. He was the Captain. He was in charge here. She had sex with her- her  _ boss _ ?! Fuck she couldn’t concentrate. He had started talking but she couldn’t concentrate. She was pissed and confused and fucking mortified. 

Kagome knew he was going over what they had accomplished the previous week but she couldn’t hear any of the specifics. Minutes passed and then...

“As for this coming week, the first thing on the docket is our newest member: Kagome Houshi.” 

He was saying her name. Why was he saying her name? Sango nudged her as the rows in front of them started to turn back. Kagome smoothly stood from her chair to wave at the onlookers. She felt like they all knew her secret. They all knew what she did.

“I expect you all to welcome Kagome and show her the ropes around here.” She couldn’t help but look at him now. Steel blue clashed with bright amber and the anxiety from a week ago resurfaced. She looked away first-- _ fucking coward _ \--and returned to her seat. 

Kagome Higurashi was not an anxious person. She controlled the world around her and she took pride in the power she held. She could take on anyone in that room and she was here for one purpose -- find her parents’ killer. One man would not distract her from that. Kagome took the night that they shared, balled it up tight and locked it away in the back of her mind.  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tbh when I started this story i had zero plan to where it was going. but i got high last night and the next seven chapters are now outlined lol so yeah...?

The moment the meeting ended Rin was dragging Kagome to the back door.

“Kagome!” an unfamiliar voice yelled to stop them. Kagome turned to be met with a young fox kitsune who looked barely old enough to order a legal drink. His red hair brushed his shoulders as it was held up in a high ponytail and the bushy tail swishing behind him gave away his youkai heritage. 

Rin grunted in annoyance, “We almost got away too. Kagome, this is Shippo.”

Kagome turned to shake the young man’s hand but she noticed they were full, “I’ve heard a lot about you Shippo, you seem to run this house.”

“Hah, don’t let Inuyasha hear you say that.” The kit mumbled. Kagome kept a face of indifference at the Captain’s name. He was compartmentalized, just like every other damaging emotion she had ever felt.

“And what do you need with me Shippo?” Kagome asked.

“Think of it as your ‘new hire’ package.” He started by handing her a manilla folder, “You’re assigned to shift A so you’ll be here for the next 48 hours, hope you packed some clothes. Here’s your daily schedule and what to expect in the coming days.” He handed her another paper, “These are the security measures we use around the house and on missions. Memorize them and then burn them.” Shippo’s voice was deadly serious. “Here’s your new phone, already preloaded with your individual member information and all other members’ contacts. It will prompt you to set up your fingerprint ID. It won’t work until you do.” Kagome took the black iPhone he handed over and put it in the back pocket of her jeans. “And these are the house rules. Please read them. I swear, one person in this house needs to.” The young man sounded desperate now and he gave her a spiral bound packet.

“Shippo if you keep doing your job so well Inuyasha will never let you move into the field.” Sango patted the younger man on the shoulder sympathetically.

Shippo's sighed, “Don’t remind me.” and then he was called away by another member.

“Here, I’ll take these and your bag up to the room,” Sango took hold of Kagome’s paperwork, “And you head out back with Rin.”

* * *

Kagome had been right in thinking the rest of the compound was hidden behind the main house. The training facilities were spread throughout the back of the property and it took two hours just to see it all. That may have been because Kagome never wanted to leave. The facilities had been something from her dreams. A gym, a fully stocked armory and gun range, a professional sparring ring, a medical wing with their own doctor. There was even a sports court with a fucking  _ heated pool _ . Kagome was just itching to change her clothes and go back out there. But Rin, Ayame and Sango convinced her she would get her fill bright and early the next morning. So instead, the group had a late dinner and sat around the kitchen until one by one the vetern members headed up to bed. Sango and Kagome were the only ones left and Kagome could tell Sango was fading fast.

“I know you can’t talk about it-”

“Sangooo.” Kagome whined. For a week now Sango had been trying to pry information out of Kagome about her initiation. “You should know better than me we cannot talk about this.”

“I know! I know, it’s just, you know... _ tonight _ .” Sango raised her eyebrows and tilted her head trying to convey the words she couldn’t speak.

“Everything is fine. I promise. If it wasn’t, I would tell you.”  _ Lie.  _ Kagome gave Sango her most convincing smile hand squeeze combination.

“Ok. I’m sorry, I just- ok ok I’ll drop it.” Sango said in finality.

“Let’s head up.”

Rin and Ayame were already fast asleep when Sango and Kagome quietly opened their door. The pair grabbed what they needed and prepared for bed in the bathroom in silence. Rin had been right, the ensuite was plenty big for even all four of them to share it at once. Sango finished before Kagome and left her alone.

_ “It’s just easier to have two sets of everything so we don’t have to lug all of our stuff back and forth every couple of days.”  _

Kagome would have to stock up on her beauty supplies and work out clothes so she could have spares here. When she exited the bathroom, Sango was silent on her bottom bunk. Kagome climbed the stairs and laid down on her temporary bed.

* * *

Kagome jolted awake as if she had fallen asleep by mistake. She never had done well when sleeping in a new place. She checked the iPhone Shippo had given her, wow she even managed to plug it in before she fell asleep. It read 4:33am. She would have to get up in an hour anyways and she was wide awake as it was. Kagome took inventory of her roommates: Ayame’s youki was dormant and Sango and Rin were both breathing steadily. Silently, Kagome crept down from her bed, grabbed her training clothes from her bag and slipped into the bathroom. She moved around in the dark to brush her teeth and splash some water on her face. She found the hair tie she had left from the night before and threw her long hair up in a high ponytail. Kagome threw her sleep clothes in a pile in the corner of the bathroom and quickly dressed in her black leggings, sports bra and tank top.

The house was eerily quiet as Kagome walked through it. The enormity of it made every small creek sound like a tree splitting. A few lights had been left on (no no number four of Shippo’s house rules) so it helped in finding her way around. She opted for the kitchen staircase instead of the main one in the foyer. The summer night was warm with a refreshing breeze in the air. Kagome walked down the pavers to the training building that housed the boxing rings. She hadn’t trained on a heavy bag since her and Miroku left the cabin and she could definitely get some aggression out tonight. As she approached the entrance she stopped. She sensed youki coming from inside. She had hoped to be alone at this hour. Kagome had two options: go to a different building to train or head in. She wanted to hit something, so she walked in.

“Oh! Kagome! Hi, uh...I was just leaving.” It was obvious Kagome had taken Shippo by surprise when she entered the gym. It was also obvious he was  _ not _ about to leave. 

“Stick around Shippo, it’s no fun to train by yourself.” Kagome called back to him. He was near the far wall at one of the heavy bags. Kagome walked to the equipment wall to grab herself a roll of hand wrap and grappling gloves. She took them back to the bench near the boxing ring. Shippo went back to the punching bag he had been at previously but he wasn’t hitting it nearly as hard as when she startled him. 

Kagome waited a minute or two until she spoke, “You couldn’t sleep either?” Kagome called.

Shippo stopped again and turned to her, “No, uh, I’m always here this early. It’s the only time I can come without-” Shippo cut himself off looking embarrassed. 

“Without?” Kagome probed.

“Without getting a hard time from the other members.” He finished.

“And why do they do that?” Kagome had finished wrapping her hands but held her gloves under her arms.

“They see me as just a kid. Like I’m just the tag along little brother getting in their way.” Shippo shrugged his shoulders trying to act indifferent.

“So you come while everyone is asleep so you can improve your skills in hopes of changing their opinion of you?”

“Sure, but the person I mainly care about is Inuyasha. He’s the decision maker here and if  _ he’s _ impressed, it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks.” Rin’s words about Shippo going into the field rang through Kagome’s mind.

“And if you impress him, you think he’ll let you go on missions?” She kept her voice light.

“That’s the plan. If I’m as strong and as skilled as the other guys then he won’t have an excuse to keep me in the house anymore.”

“Maybe he’s trying to protect you.”

“He’s been doing that all my life and it’s time that I stand up for  _ myself _ .” There was heat in Shippo’s voice now. Clearly the men had a long history and Kagome’s interest was piqued.

“Ok. Let’s start with some sparring then.” Kagome pulled the gloves onto her hands.

“What?” Shippo stared.

“What do you prefer? Boxing? Muay Thai? Jiu Jitsu?” Kagome jumped up to the ring and tested the ropes enclosing it.

“I guess my style is more aligned with Muay Thai.” Shippo ventured closer.

“Great, and you’re probably warmed up already? Just give me a second.” Kagome ducked between the ropes to fully enter the ring. “I don’t have my mouth guard with me so you’ll have to go easy on my face.”

“Oh, uh, ok.”

Kagome jogged a few laps around the square to get her body moving. She would usually take far longer to warm up but she would make the exception this once. Shippo timidly made his way into the ring as well. Kagome could see his uneasiness and she second guessed if her help was actually wanted.

“Kagome, are you sure about this?” Shippo uncertainty was clear.

“You want to get better don’t you? Kind of hard if you’re just hitting a bag over and over again.” Kagome stretched her arms and threw some practice punches.

Shippo grimaced, “I just- I don’t want to hurt you.” 

Kagome couldn’t hold back her laughter, “That’s sweet Shippo, but I’m a big girl.”

Kagome snapped her knuckles together twice and then held one glove out for Shippo to tap, signalling they were ready to start. Shippo still had the obvious air of nervousness as they began circling each other. He was never going to make the first move, so Kagome struck first. She stepped forward and threw two quick jabs to his stomach area. When his hands lowered to block her, Kagome crossed him with her left fist, striking him in the chest. Kagome stepped back to give him a second to recover and hopefully see that she wasn’t babying him. His bright green eyes moved quickly following her movements and then he threw a three punch combo at her and finished him a straight kick. Kagome easily blocked the punches but missed the kick. It landed on her right thigh but barely made her stutter.

“Come on Shippo, I know you can hit harder than that.” Kagome’s voice held no hint of teasing.

Shippo moved his feet quicker and then threw a wide hook. Kagome saw it coming a mile away so she ducked and hit him twice in the ribs before his fist even made it over her head. Not to be outdone, Shippo shifted his weight and tried to land a roundhouse kick to Kagome’s head. His movements were obvious and sloppy. 

“Stay compact, don’t drift.” Kagome coached. She bluffed with a few jabs, trying to coax him into hitting her again. Shippo took advantage and connected a low kick to Kagome’s leg and then followed it with a jab and a cross to her core. Shippo was still pulling his punches and Kagome was sick of it.

“Fine, but I gave you a chance.” Kagome’s voice was annoyed. She waited for Shippo to step closer to her then she jabbed with her right fist, hooked with her left, stepped across her body with her front foot, spun and landed a devastating wheel kick to Shippo’s jaw. He went down like a ton of bricks. He didn’t lose consciousness but he didn’t get up off the mat either. Kagome stood over him and took her gloves off.

“You need confidence Shippo. If we’re going to keep training together I don’t want any of this half ass bullshit. Prove to me you want this.”

Shippo stared up at Kagome and for the first time she saw a spark in his eyes, “Ok.”

For the next forty-five minutes Kagome wore a pair of punch mitts and coached Shippo through different hits.

_ “Elbows in.” _

_ “Don’t turn your front foot so much.” _

_ “Yes! Now harder!” _

_ “Power is in your hips.” _

_ “Quick! Quick!” _

Shippo collapsed on the ring floor, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Sweat was pouring down his face and most of his auburn hair was matted. Kagome remained standing to remove the mitts, her shoulders a little tense from catching his countless punches and kicks. She walked to the ropes and hoped down to sanitize the equipment before returning it to the wall.

“I should head out before everyone else gets here.” Shippo slowly got down from the ring, walking to his gym bag.

“Get a good stretch in. Maybe even some recovery in the pool. Tomorrow we’ll throw some knives.”

Shippo’s eyes lit up, “Same time tomorrow?”

“I’ll be here at 4:30.”

* * *

It was a quarter to six when Inuyasha made his way into the gym. And his noise was instantly assaulted by Kagome’s scent. It permeated the large space but it was mixed with...Shippo’s? Inuyasha was aware the young kit came in early everyday to train but he hadn’t expected their mingling scents to be congregated in the ring. Logic told him they had sparred, but there was an unfamiliar emotion running through his chest. Not wanting to think on it, Inuyasha looked around the gym for the organization’s newest member. She was on the far wall with one of the hanging bags. It was swinging in front of her, clearly having just been hit. He stood and watched her. She was in a black sports bra and leggings with sweat sheening on her chest and stomach. Her form was relaxed as she bounced on the balls on her feet, fists in front of her face. And then she moved. Jab, cross, roundhouse. The movements were clean and precise, her shin driving through the bag with practiced ease. Kagome repeated the combination five more times before Inuyasha moved. When he finally came to his senses, he realized what a creep he must have looked like. But he was unsure how to navigate this interaction.

“Good morning.” He called to announce his presence.

Kagome pretended like she was noticing him for the first time, even though she was painfully aware of his eyes on her since the moment he walked in. “Good morning sir.”

Inuyasha never hated a word more than in that second. Her voice sounded different too, like she was guarding herself. Well that was understandable. But fuck, he never wanted her to call him  _ sir _ again.

“Getting an early start today?” He pressed. She had given up on her training and was sliding her tank top back over her head. The simple act was sending vision flashing into his mind. And he instantly felt guilty. Inuyasha turned away from her to set his bag in one of the wooden cubbies by the door.

“Something about an early bird and a worm I guess.” She walked towards the ring but she still kept her distance from him.

“Well I hope you haven’t worn yourself out yet. Kouga tells me you’re quite the fighter.” He smirked at her over his shoulder as he tied his long hair into a messy ponytail.

Was he flirting with her? Kagome’s eyebrow twerked. Ok so maybe this didn’t have to be awkward between them. He  _ was _ her Captain and if she couldn’t aptly communicate with him it would make her job a lot harder. Ok, she could do this.

“Their mistake was giving me a knife. If it was strictly hand to hand, Ayame could have taken me.”

“I’ll remember that.” His amber eyes seemed to glow.

“For when we fight?” Kagome cautiously teased.

Inuyasha laughed and Kagome couldn’t help but smile too, “Getting a little ahead of yourself on your first day?”

“What can I say? I’m enthusiastic.” Kagome enunciated the last word and suddenly she felt like she wasn’t talking about sparring anymore. And by the flash in Inuyasha’s eyes, he didn’t think so either. 

Before their conversation could continue, Kouga and two other wolf demons walked into the gym. “Boss man. New chick.” greeted the one of with the mohawk. Kouga rolled his eyes, “Hakkaku, Ginta. Kagome.” He waved his hand back and forth in introduction.

Kagome snickered, “Hi there.”

“Get on a treadmill.” All casualness was gone from Inuyasha’s voice. “Start with a mile. You three run five.” Inuyasha pointedly stared at the wolf youkai. Ginta and Hakkaku groaned.

The rest of shift A filtered in as Kagome finished up her mile. She was plenty warm from her morning with Shippo and the hanging bag but running always helped loosen everything up. When all of shift A was warmed up Kagome counted twenty-two members altogether, including her. Eleven youkai, nine humans and one hanyou. Two if she counted Inuyasha.

The group moved into the weight room and Inuyasha turned over control to a human named Bankotsu. He was a confident looking guy with a long dark braid and an interesting blue cross on his forehead. Bankotsu lead them through dynamic stretches and then an Olympic lift with the barbells. Kagome and Sango shared a bar and she was glad Mushin had included these types of work out in her training as a teenager. Bankotsu wanted everyone at seventy percent of their one rep max weight. “Focus on being explosive. Be fast under the bar.” He walked around the room, correcting form. "Glad to see you won't need any technique training Kagome."

After twenty minutes, they cleaned up their weights and Bankotsu explained the metabolic conditioning that was coming next. They were doing a twenty-five minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible):  
21 burpee box jumps  
15 wall balls  
9 pulls ups

When everyone had their own equipment in their own space, Bankotsu started the timer and blasted the music. The clock gave a ten second countdown and then beeped loudly for them to start. Kagome tried not to focus on the youkais around her. She knew they would move faster than her no matter how much weight they added to their exercises. So she tried to pace herself against Sango and Rin to gauge where she stood. Rin was quick on the burpee box jumps but Sango was able to do all her wall balls and pull ups unbroken which gave her the advantage. Kagome pushed herself but she also knew this was a longer work out and she didn’t want to burn out before the timer was up. She only made it six minutes before she was shedding her tank top again. There were fans in the weight room but the summer sun was warming the entire building and removing the light fabric did little to cool her down.

Kagome hated that she noticed Inuyasha had also taken off his shirt. She was on her fifth round of burpee box jumps and she was no longer watching her feet land on the wood box. He was straight across from her, with his weighted ball in his hands, squatting and then throwing it up to the target on the wall. He moved so fluidly and she couldn’t help but admire his curving back muscles with each throw. He finished his fifteen reps quickly and then moved to the metal rig. Inuyasha took a moment to chalk his hands and then jumped up to the bar. He was facing Kagome now and she had no idea how she was still moving without falling on her face. His biceps and triceps looked to be straining against his skin while his abdomals flexed and relaxed with each ragged breath he took. 

That’s exactly how he had breathed when she was on top of him, his chest sticky with perspiration as she grinded up and-

Inuyasha’s eyes suddenly shot to hers and Kagome realized why.

_ Fuck fuck fuck. Fucking dog demons. _

Kagome abruptly ended her box jumps, unaware how many she actually completed, and then turned around to face the wall.  _ Lock it up Kagome. Lock it up and focus on why you’re here. _

She didn’t look at him again for the rest of the work out.


	7. Chapter 7

Kagome had been a Militia member for three weeks now. That equated to six full shifts in the house. It didn’t take long to learn the ropes but being constantly surrounded by people was new territory. By the time she made it back to her apartment with Miroku, she was socially exhausted. Kagome thrived in isolation, another thing thanks to Mushin’s training. Twice a month he would blind fold Miroku and her, drop them off at different locations, each twenty miles from the cabin and they would have to find their way back. As long as the weather was good, Kagome rather enjoyed those days alone, relying on only herself to survive. But now, she couldn’t even fucking pee in solitude without someone barging in on her. Even on her days away from the house, Kagome continued to work at Slayers. And more often than not she would see her shift mates indulging in some libations at the club. 

Miroku didn’t let up on their training on her days off either, the bastard. He told Kagome that Kouga had reached out to him to start his membership process. So for Miroku, that meant to kick his training up a notch. And Kagome was dragged along for the ride. No matter where she was sleeping, Kagome would crawl into bed with aching muscles and wake up to do it all over again the next day. Inuyasha was relentless in their training at the house. Every morning started the same in the gym with Bankotsu but after that their days were constantly changing. Long distance runs with weighted packs or mastering every weapon imaginable or hand to hand combat or 2-on-1 combat or target practice or sniper practice or explosives practice, fuck it was endless. And Kagome secretly loved it. The variety, the diversity, she wanted to be the best at everything they did. Which was impossible, but Kagome loved the challenge anyways. Her friends around her gave her endless competition and fueled her desire to be better.

Some mornings, when her iPhone would buzz at 4:15am, she regretted agreeing to train Shippo. But every morning she saw his drastic improvements and she knew she was doing the right thing. He was also the first member she was able to manipulate into some real answers about the organization.

_ “How did the Militia even start?” _

_ “It was like thirty-something years ago, I think. A bunch of Shikon community members got together and tried to figure out how to stop Naraku’s shitty legislation.” _

_ “And is that still our goal today?” _

_ Shippo put down the gun he was about to fire and turned to the older woman, “Are you serious? You don’t know what we’re doing?” _

_ “I listen to the meetings and I watch the other guys go out on missions but no one has explicitly explained our game plan to me.” _

_ Shippo sighed, “Another thing I need to add to the welcome packet.” he mumbled. “Naraku’s legislation is one tiny part of what we do. That’s mainly left up to Inuyasha’s brother Sesshomaru.” _

_ “Is he on the B shift?” _

_ “He’s not technically a member. At least he’s not anymore. I don’t know, their family history is complicated. But Rin is kind of the go between for them.” _

_ “Ok…” Kagome’s voice drawled. _

_ “Our objectives lie specifically with taking out as many of Naraku’s resources and men as we can. We cut supply lines, sabotage his business dealings, steal his contraband, and destroy his properties. Anything that will stop what he’s doing to the state, we do it.” _

_ “Is that where all the money comes from?” Kagome waved to the surrounding gun range to emphasize what she meant. _

_ “Some of it, of course. Gotta pay for all our food somehow. But this property wasn’t bought by the organization. It’s Inuyasha’s family home. Obviously there have been some additions but the main house is all original.” _

_ That, she never expected. Still, she wanted more answers, “So where does the rest of the money and contraband go?” _

_ “Everything illegal gets turned over to the authorities anonymously. But anything we can cash out and use to help the city and surrounding areas, we donate. Free meals in all the schools, after school programs, handing out prepaid Visa cards at grocery stores. It doesn’t get talked about a lot since everyone here is so focused on  _ how  _ we acquire those funds. It’s been years since we lost someone on a mission but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. Naraku’s associates are on an aim-to-kill command whenever they see us.” _

That conversation had happened the morning before and now Kagome was standing in her bathroom plaiting her hair into a tight braid, her first mission report on the vanity. She was to leave in the next fifteen minutes for a distribution center three counties over. The drive would take about forty-five minutes and Kagome was assigned to take inventory of Naraku’s containers: how many, sizes, delivery addresses. And to take photos of all of them. Kagome was dressed in black head to toe. The Militia-issued outfit was the perfect combination of spandex and leather, giving Kagome enough protection while also allowing her to move freely. A thigh holster held one of her handguns while two more were secured in her shoulder holster. She wore a belt that carried multiple knives, extra clips for her firearms and her team-issued iPhone.

“You ready?” Sango asked softly as she walked into the bathroom. It was just past ten o’clock at night and Ayame and Rin were already in bed.

“Shouldn’t be too difficult, right?” Kagome gave her a confident smile through the mirror.

* * *

Getting into the distribution center had been the easy part. The Militia iPhone was equipped with jailbreaking software to handle all of the security measures without Kagome even breaking a sweat. The hard part was  _ finding _ Naraku’s shit. Her mission assignment said the building was sixty-five thousand square feet, fucking hell, and only gave a general location to where the specific containers  _ could _ be. It took Kagome thirty-two minutes just to find the right packages and then came the monotonous task of cataloging everything. Twenty minutes later Kagome sensed two different youki energies entering the building. This was strictly a recon mission. Kagome was  _ not _ to engage. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t see who it was. The scent concealing beads around her wrist would help with that. 

Kagome snapped pictures of the rest of Naraku’s containers before she silently climbed the two story shelf behind her to get a better vantage point. There were different sized shipping containers lining the top row of the shelf that aided Kagome in her stealth operation. The demonic auras were getting closer to her but she didn’t hear anyone talking. Closer, closer, closer. Kagome held her position, clearly they were coming her way. Which meant they had to have been from Naraku’s camp. When the youki felt like it was on top of her, Kagome saw two figures turn down the aisle she had previously occupied. The first one was far taller than any average human and had a purple tinge to his skin. The second looked to be a child, a very small, very pale child. She didn’t even reach the waist of the taller demon. Kagome committed their faces to memory, too apprehensive to take her phone out to photograph them. The taller demon made his way to Naraku’s crates but the child stopped short.

“We have company.” Her voice made Kagome’s blood run cold. Kagome peaked her head around a crate only to be met with the youkai girl’s empty black eyes staring right at her.  _ Fuck. So much for ‘do not engage’.  _ Kagome quickly drew two handguns and started running down the shelf the opposite direction from the demons. She had to get down off the shelf before they attacked. The sound of ripping fabric drew Kagome’s senses to the larger youkai behind her. It was as if his youki had duplicated.

_ Naraku’s associates are on an aim-to-kill command whenever they see us.  _ Shippo’s words rang through her mind. And with that, Kagome released her hold on her reiki. Liquid power flowed through her veins, pushing her legs faster. She made it to the end of the aisle and jumped. Even though she tucked and rolled with practiced ease, her body jarred against the concrete floor. Thankfully, the adrenaline and reiki pumping through made it painless. For now. Kagome continued to run until the shelf she had just been standing on exploded behind her. Debris flew around her, knocking her to the ground. The demon’s previous form was gone, now standing in front of her was a purple beast nearly as tall as the shelving itself. His eyes glowed red and his horns shone in the fluorescent lighting. His laughter was like tires rolling over gravel and he attacked before Kagome could even get off the floor. For his size he was surprisingly fast. She got four shots off but he dodged all of them. Her reiki flowed easily through her hands, to the guns and into the bullets. She just needed one to land and he would be a goner. She needed to get closer to him. Jumping up, Kagome maneuvered around the endless wreckage to make her way towards the demon.

“Stupid human.” It was like his voice had some movie effect on it the way it echoed around her.

Kagome saw him lift his jagged claws and she raised both guns, aiming for his chest. 

_ BANG BANG BANG _

Six purification bullets was probably overkill but Kagome wanted to be safe. What she hadn’t accounted for was the demon finishing his attack on her before he burst into pink flames. His claws sliced into her left shoulder, instantly rendering it useless. The gun in that hand clamored to the ground and Kagome barely kept her footing. The youkai’s gravelly voice turned into agonizing screams as his body disintegrated into ashes. Feeling the warm liquid flow down her arm, Kagome tried to focus on the second demon's energy.  _ There.  _ Kagome’s eyes landed on the little girl standing near Naraku’s shipments. Kagome raised her uninjured arm, aiming to fire. But before she could even get her gun all the way up, the girl vanished into thin air. Kagome’s eyes widened, she had never seen a demon teleport before. Her mind searched everywhere but the girl’s demonic energy had vanished as well. Kagome was alone.

The blood dripping down her arm was steady, effectively soaking what was left of her long sleeve in the sticky substance. Kagome’s head was still clear but as her adrenaline was wearing off and the pain was setting in. She knew her reiki would protect her but that would only last for so long. She got back to the car as quickly as she could. Rummaging through the trunk of the SUV she had driven, Kagome was relieved to see a first aid kit strapped to the side wall. No wonder she was required to drive  _ this _ vehicle for her mission. Only able to use her right arm, Kagome struggled fashioning an effective tourniquet for the awkward spot on her shoulder. After what felt like another battle, it was mostly in place. It would do for the forty-five minute drive. Kagome just had to stay conscious. 

Forty-five minutes dragged into an hour and Kagome’s vision kept blurring dangerously. She was so tired and just wanted to rest for a little while.  _ No! Drive!  _ Her mind would remind her as she jolted back into focus, straightening the wheel that had drifted. Finally she made it to the long gravel road leading to the compound and her mind rejoiced. She did it. Kagome could let go now. Her foot slipped off the accelerator and Kagome welcomed the darkness.

* * *

Inuyasha was about to head up to his office when the metallic scent of blood filled his nostrils. His body moved subconsciously before he could even realize he was running down the driveway. His dress shoes and pants restricted his movements but the coppery smell was growing stronger with each step he took. The black SUV was moving strangely slow and the tires were starting to drift off the path and into the manicured grass. Even as Inuyasha approached the Suburban, the driver did not break. Sensing something was wrong, Inuyasha got in front of the vehicle to stop it with his hands. It didn’t take much of his strength but his clothes were effectively ruined. Paying no mind to his appearance, Inuyasha ran to the driver's side to yank open the door. Kagome’s body was slumped over and the smell of her blood overwhelmed him. He threw the gear shift into park and pulled her from the seat. As fast as he could, while minding her injuries, Inuyasha ran towards the medical building.

* * *

Inuyasha paced the linoleum floors of the recovery room. He hated it here. The lights were too bright and the sterile smell hurt his head. But it was better than the smell of her blood. He couldn’t stop moving, he couldn’t stop checking to see if her eyes were open yet. Suikotsu’s blue scrubs had traces of Kagome’s blood on them as he checked her vitals one more time. A blood bag was hanging from the hook next to her bed, dripping through the IV stuck into her arm.

“You know this takes time to work. Come back in two hours.” Suikotsu spoke softly as he removed his rubber gloves and washed his hands in the sink across the room.

Inuyasha knew the human doctor was right and if he kept this up there would be a hole in the flooring by the time she did wake up. “Call me the second anything changes.” He needed to hit something.

* * *

Kagome tried to open her eyes but the room was so bright. Her mind was still fogged but she tried to recall where she was. She remembered getting ready for her mission. The music she listened to in the car and wandering through the distribution center. And...a little girl?  _ The youkai!  _ Kagome’s eyes shot open although the lighting made it impossible for her to see properly. She trashed her arms searching for her firearms, or knives, or anything that would help her.

“Kagome! You’re in the medical wing at the compound! You’re safe, you’re safe.” The voice registered in her brain even before her eyes could acclimate to the room. She continued to blink her eyes until everything slowly came back into focus. A man in his thirties, dressed in scrubs stood at the end of her bed. He had a kind face, but looked tired.  _ Medical wing? _ Kagome looked around to see an all white room equipped with hospital beds. Rin hadn’t taken her inside the medical wing during her tour the first night but she  _ had _ met Suikotsu on a few occasions.

“What happened?” Kagome asked once her heart rate returned to normal.

“You were injured on your left shoulder. You lost enough blood to need a blood transfusion. That bag was filled with youkai blood which will help you heal exponentially faster. You should already be feeling the effects. The blood will only stay in your system for a day or so. I’m prescribing rest. So no training in the morning, got it?”

“Got it. Thank you.” Kagome paused looking down at the tank top she had worn under her mission top, “Do I have to stay here tonight?” Suikotsu was right in the fact that she already felt the healing powers of the demon blood coursing through her. Her shoulder was throbbing but nothing like it had been when the purple demon had attacked her. However, Kagome was concerned how her reiki would react to the foreign blood. So far she felt a little hot but nothing too alarming.

“You should be fine to go up to your room. But if anything feels off, call me immediately.”

“Ok, thank you aga-” Kagome had started to stand from her bed when she was cut off by the door to the recovery room being yanked open. Inuyasha stood in the doorway in black athletic shorts and a sweat stained red shirt. His silver hair was haphazardly thrown into a bun and he was breathing forcefully through his nose. Both occupants remained silent and they just stared at him.

“Follow me.” Inuyasha’s amber eyes burned into Kagome’s.

“Captain, she needs to rest.” Suikotsu tried to interject.

“Thank you doctor. I’ll make sure she does.” Inuyasha’s voice was even but Kagome could tell he was restraining himself. Suikotsu only sighed and began straightening up the room as Kagome followed Inuyasha out. 

Inuyasha led her in silence back into the main house and to a door she had never seen before. It slid open to reveal an elevator. Inuyasha entered first and then made room for her to step in. She watched his claw press the number three button and the doors closed. Kagome didn’t even know the house  _ had _ three stories. When the elevator opened again, Kagome stepped into a short hallway with only two doors. Inuyasha opened the first one on the right to reveal a dimly lit office.

This room had a completely different design than the rest of the house. And now that Kagome knew it was Inuyasha’s family’s, she couldn't help but think this was his father’s den. Directly across from the door was a thick oak desk in front of a huge dark window. A leather rolling chair sat behind the desk with two matching wingback chairs in front of it. Kagome stood in her place as Inuyasha made his way around the desk to sit down. She could feel his eyes on her again but Kagome focused on the detailing of the room. Dark wood bookcases were built into the two side walls and were filled with books. There were also beautiful rustic beams that curved below the ceiling in an intricate formation. The dim light coming from a floor lap in the corner washed the room in a warm hue and Kagome tried to relax. This was the first time her and Inuyasha were truly alone, without the possibility of someone interrupting them, since the hotel room. She had effectively avoided him the past three weeks, only speaking to him when absolutely necessary. It wasn’t ideal, especially if he had answers about her parents, but she was easing into it ok?

Inuyasha gestured towards the chair in front of his desk. Kagome silently walked over, suddenly self-conscious of her appearance. Suikotsu had cleaned up the blood on her arm and torso but she still felt horribly grimy and sure she smelled just as bad. All she wanted was a proper shower and a few hours of sleep. As she sat, her injured shoulder rubbed against the back of the chair and she visibly winced.

“How are you feeling?”

“Good all things considered.”

“Youkai blood tends to do that.”

“Quite the set up the doc has down there.”

“Hmm.” There was an awkward pause before Inuyasha continued, “I need to know what happened.”

“Shouldn’t this all go into my mission report?”

“Whenever a mission goes so off the rails that a member is injured, I take it to personally get the report.”

Kagome took a deep breath, “I arrived at the designated location at 11:22pm. Found the packages at 11:53, and heard footsteps enter the facility at 12:17am. I was wearing the scent concealment bracelet but somehow they knew I was there.” 

“So they were demons. How many?”

“Two.”

“What did they look like?”

“The first one was a child. She couldn’t have been older than twelve. She was unnaturally pale and had white hair. And her eyes-“

“Kanna. Did she attack you?” Inuyasha asked already assuming the answer.

“No. The one that attacked me started in a humanoid form but quickly shredded it and became a large, purple orge-like youkai with two long horns.” Inuyasha visibly tensed, clenching his teeth and fists. “You seem familiar with this pair?” Kagome prodded when Inuyasha did not speak.

“The demon who attacked you is named Goshinki. He is ruthless but evasive.” Inuyasha had to stand up. Kagome was lucky to be even be alive.

“Well we won’t have to worry about him anymore.” Kagome replied, trying to lighten the mood.

Inuyasha turned back to her, concern and confusion clear on his face, “What do you mean?”

“I eliminated him.” Kagome said simply.

“That’s impossible.” The certainty of his words agitated Kagome.

“Clearly not.” She cracked a knuckle to try and release some tension.

“Goshinki is a ward of Naraku and has regenerative powers. No matter how much you attack him, he just keeps coming back.” Inuyasha scratched his claws at his hairline, this whole night was giving him a headache.

Kagome inhaled sharply, “I see.” She now realized her mistake. She had purified him before she saw him regenerate. No regeneration could overcome her spiritual powers. 

Inuyasha now realized she wasn’t just mistaken in thinking she killed Goshinki, “Tell me what happened. The  _ truth _ .”

Kagome closed her eyes. She couldn’t even make it a month without revealing her powers.  _ Fucking amateur. _ “I purified him.”

Inuyasha rubbed the bridge of his nose, “You have no reiki.” He sounded tired which only pissed Kagome off more. Her irritation bled through with an empty laugh and a challenging look at Inuyasha. He just continued to glare with the slightest hint of scepticism. Without warning, Kagome released her hold on her reiki. The air in the office literally crackled around the two and Inuyasha coughed from the force of it. A million thoughts went through Inuyasha’s head at once and he had to move away from her to try and focus. Her reiki made it feel like he was walking through mud. He felt Kagome’s reiki retreat back until it was gone completely and his head cleared. 

Inuyasha moved to the front of his desk to lean against it, “You’re a miko.”

“I am.”

“A strong one.” As if he was clarifying his previous statement.

“You flatter me.” Kagome jeered.

“And you killed Goshinki...”

“With a purification bullet.” She finished for him.

“ _ Fuck _ .” Inuyasha swore into his hands that covered his nose and mouth. It had been almost eight years since Naraku killed Kikyo. He had targeted her specifically because of her spiritual powers and Inuyasha had to sit back and watch as she died. He never wanted that to happen again.

“What happened to Kanna? Did she see you?” Inuyasha asked urgently. 

“Yes. But she disappeared before I could shoot her too.”

“Fuck fuck fuck!” Inuyasha swore again with more vigor. Kanna would have known what Kagome did to Goshinki and she would report back to Naraku. The bastard was probably already trying to identify Kagome as he spoke.

“Can you tell me the problem sir?” She hadn’t known Inuyasha for long but his behavior was not putting her at ease.

Inuyasha whirled on Kagome, “ _ Don’t _ call me sir.”

Kagome gritted her teeth, “What would you like me to call you then?”

“I don’t know! Just- just shut up and let me think!” Kagome’s annoyance spiked but remained silent while Inuyasha paced the length of the office. After what felt like an eternity he stopped in front of her and pinned her with a look, “How confident are you in our powers?”

Kagome scoffed. This man hadn’t even noticed the smallest amount of reiki she had used on him when his youki took over in the hotel room, “How about I show you and we can see what your human form looks like.” 

The cheeky threat should not have made blood rush to Inuyasha’s groin but he was a weak fucking man. He debated responding in kind but decided to save it for a less serious moment. Instead, Inuyasha focused on her reiki he had felt earlier. Naraku feared Kikyo because of what she could do to him. And Inuyasha could easily tell that Kagome was a far stronger miko than Kikyo had ever been. Kikyo hadn’t been able to defeat Naraku but maybe Kagome could...

Kagome could tell Inuyasha’s aura had changed. He no longer held the tension in his body and his eyes looked more determined than worried. “Congratulations Kagome, you just got your first promotion.”

“Pardon?” 

“Any mission we suspect we’ll run into Naraku or his people, you’ll be there.”  _ So more people will know about my powers _ was all that meant to Kagome.

“Who else will be on these specific missions?”

“Sango, Kouga and myself.” Kagome was surprised the team was so small. But the less people that knew about her powers the better. 

“Clearly you don’t want everyone to know of your reiki. I will call Sango and Kouga into a meeting here tomorrow and I can tell them privately.”

“Ok.” Kagome paused. “Thank you sir.”

Inuyasha rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes, “I said-“ he started in tired frustration. 

“You are my  _ superior _ . What else am I supposed to call you?” She snapped back. Kagome stood to put more space between them unable to deal with his proximity anymore. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you!” Inuyasha threw back, finally breaking the unspoken agreement they had about referencing _ that night _ . 

Kagome tongued her teeth in her closed mouth, “You are the Captain, that was your prerogative.” 

“Cut the shit Kagome, you have every right to be angry.” They both stood on the side of his office now, ten feet between them.

“What do you want me to say?  _ Of course _ I was fucking angry. And humiliated! So what?” This was the first time Kagome was putting a voice to her internal thoughts.

Inuyasha lost all of his gusto, “I don’t know. But I’m sorry.” She could tell he meant it.

“Well, thanks, I guess.” Kagome paused to reign in her emotions and then asked timidly, “Is it always this weird between new members and their initiators?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

Kagome snorted humorlessly, “Right.”

“You should get some rest.” Inuyasha didn’t know what else to say. Words wouldn’t be able to make her feel any more comfortable around him. Only time could do that.

“Right. Goodnight-” Kagome stopped herself, “Inuyasha.'

But this was a start.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is told in snippets so be aware that time passes between each new scene.

“And Sango and Kouga were going into the meeting with Inuyasha just as I was leaving.” Kagome finished recounting the events of the previous night and why she couldn’t train with Miroku that morning.

Miroku had a serious look on his face as he sat across from Kagome in their living room, “Have you noticed any side effects of the demon blood with your reiki?”

“No, thank god.” Kagome idly braided the bottom of her damp hair. Even though she had showered the night before, she wanted to get all remaining traces of Goshinki off of her. 

“And do you feel guilty not being the one to tell Sango?”

Kagome combed through the braid to start again, “I don’t know. Yes. But I shouldn’t, right?”

“She’s your friend.”

“It’s a friendship based on lies.” Kagome shot back. 

“What will be your excuse for hiding your reiki?”

“The obvious choice would be it puts a pretty big fucking target on my back. Maybe pepper in some ‘element of surprise’ bullshit.”

“Those things are both true though.”

_ But not the real reason.  _ Kagome finished in her mind. The truth was the Higurashi family was infamous for strong spiritual priests and priestesses throughout their lineage. And if there was any chance of someone finding out her true identity before she found her parents’ killer, she would never forgive herself. When Kagome only stared off at the wall Miroku sighed, “You seem to be getting closer with Ayame and Rin too.” He prodded. 

“We’re roommates.”

“Kago-“

“I’m only doing this for my parents.” She cut him off. 

Miroku stood to walk into the kitchen, “I can tell you enjoy your time there. You don’t have to put up a front like you don’t. It’s ok to open yourself up.”

“I’m lying to them.” Kagome repeated.

Miroku returned with two cups of the tea he had been brewing, “Your reasons for joining may be different than theirs but your parents started this organization to put a stop to Naraku. I know you want that too. And now that you know he might have had a hand in their death...” He sipped the hot drink. Kagome stared down at the steam rising from her own cup. “You are my best friend,” Miroku continued, “I know everything about you but you even shut  _ me _ out sometimes. You deserve happiness. And maybe this revenge will give that to you. But I worry that if and when you get it, you won’t have anything left. Give these people a chance. Maybe they’ll surprise you.”

“Since when are you so in tune with your emotions?” Kagome wrinkled an eyebrow. 

“Maybe I’ve been hit in the head one too many times.” 

* * *

The conversation with Sango had been surprisingly painless. She had fully understood Kagome’s fear in revealing her true power and promised she would keep her secret. 

_ Give these people a chance. Maybe they’ll surprise you. _

Not even a week later, Kagome told Rin and Ayame too. It almost felt...therapeutic. She had gone for so long shielding her reiki that letting go of her stronghold on it was like a weight being lifted. And that started a chain reaction of Kagome just  _ giving people a chance _ . She stopped focusing on protecting herself and her lies and tried to embrace the potential of friends. 

She was still a deadly trained mercenary living in a mansion with a bunch of other deadly trained mercenaries but, hell, they could also watch The Bachelor and make Taco Bell runs in the middle of the night, right? 

Inuyasha was still the one wild card. Of course she didn’t want her gut clenching at even the _mention_ of him but this was brand new territory to her. Kagome had never experimented in college or had one night stands. He was quite literally the only person she had been with _and_ _he knew it too_. But, Kagome had a new resolve now. And if she could learn to navigate a whole group of girlfriends, she could cohabitate with someone she fucked, right? Ugh. _Plus_ she needed to be on his good side to find out what he knew about her parents’ murder.

* * *

It was just past nine o’clock and only a few members from shift A were still downstairs. Inuyasha had been on the phone with Sesshomaru for hours dealing with the latest lawsuit filed against Naraku and he hadn’t eaten dinner yet. He just wanted something quick so he could go to sleep at a reasonable hour tonight. But Shippo wasn’t going to Costco until the morning and Inuyasha had polished off all the instant ramen days ago. He was thirty-years-old, he couldn’t eat Froot Loops for dinner...again.

When he came down the kitchen staircase the only other person in the room was Kagome. Her back was to him as she stood in front of one of the far stove tops. By the looks of her damp, wavy hair and the freshness of her scent, she had just taken a shower. Inuyasha absolutely  _ did not _ think back to a different shower she had taken months ago. The baggy shirt Kagome wore looked like it didn’t belong to her. It also made it hard to tell if she was wearing pants.  _ Fucking Christ all mighty.  _ Inuyasha thought as he looked away from her legs and opened the pantry door. Of course no ramen had magically appeared. He looked around the shelves, uninterested in everything he saw. Then his nose registered the delectable smell coming from the stove. Inuyasha turned around to make sure. He covered up his inspection of the pot by moving to open the refrigerator. It wasn’t the instant stuff but it was unmistakable, Kagome was making ramen. He withheld a groan. Tonight was not his night. He stood in front of the fridge, again hating all of his options. His stomach only wanted what he was smelling.

Inuyasha seriously debated running to town for something but then begrudgingly settled for another sad bowl of kid’s cereal. As he turned to go to the cabinet with the dishes, he saw Kagome already there taking down her own. When she turned back to the stove, he noticed her spooning the contents into two different bowls. Inuyasha’s mind couldn’t even register as she turned to him and pushed one of the filled bowls across the counter. 

“I made way too much, there’s more in the pot if you want it.” Kagome smiled and then she was gone.

_ Fucking hell. _

* * *

Inuyasha stood in the balcony watching the two men circle each other down on the wrestling mat on the first floor. Kouga had a clear advantage over Miroku but the human was holding his own just fine. Kagome and her brother had different fighting styles but he was impressive all the same. Miroku was using a metal baton as his weapon against the wolf demon, an odd choice in Inuyasha’s opinion but it intrigued him. Kouga made a quick move towards Miroku, trying to catch him off balance but was met with the baton snapping down on his left forearm. Kouga jumped back and shook out his arm, hiding a grimace. The wolf demon was the fastest member The Militia had and somehow this human was able to track his movement. Seems this whole Houshi family was something else…

Inuyasha rarely came to these initial sparring matches. He was the highest ranking member and he was beyond busy. But when Kagome cornered him in the weight room…

_ Bankotsu had just kicked their ass again that morning and Inuyasha was one of the last ones left in the gym. The other members had moved onto their other assigned training for the day and he was debating what he wanted to do. Pool or treadmill? That was until Kagome stepped back into the room and beelined to him. Just before she was close enough to speak, she checked her surroundings. Bankotsu was sanitizing some of the equipment across the room but he was human and wouldn’t hear their conversation. _

_ “Can I come watch Miroku and Kouga spar next week?” She whispered conspiringly. Inuyasha had approved Miroku to start his membership process the night before and Kouga just so happened to have volunteered to fight him. That was rare, but maybe Kouga wanted to see how Kagome’s brother fared against a wolf demon.  _

_ “Do I need to talk to Shippo about sharing classified information again?” Inuyasha asked with a quirk of his brow. His comment was met with a roll of her eyes. He was happy to see she was comfortable enough to approach him like this now. It had taken time and patience but he no longer smelled embarrassment or anxiety on her when he was around. _

_ “Funny how you assume it was Shippo and not Kouga bragging to his girlfriend.” Kagome’s voice held a sing-song tone to it. Inuyasha snorted, ok yeah that did track. _

_ “It’s not customary for members to watch that part of the recruitment process.” _

_ “Kouga got to watch me.” Kagome challenged. “Seems only fair.”  _

_ Inuyasha chewed on the inside of his cheek, “I don’t-” _

_ “Please.” Kagome stepped closer to him and her steel eyes seemed brighter. If Inuyasha could think straight he would have recognized the manipulation tactic. Instead he just saw her flushed cheeks and pouting lips and he crumbled. “Fine. But you’ll be upstairs and you can’t let Miroku know you’re there.” _

_ The smile she gave him was worth it, “Deal.” _

Kagome stood beside him in the shadows on the balcony. A few times she had shifted and their shoulders had brushed but besides that she was only focused on the men on the mat. She never flinched, or even blinked, when Kouga landed a hit on her brother and Inuyasha could smell no nervous scent coming from her. Clearly, she had faith in Miroku. That only intrigued Inuyasha more.

The men had been going for about six minutes. Miroku was visibly sweaty but didn’t look tired. He wasn’t even breathing hard. Kouga, however, had a bloodied lip from one too close encounter with the baton. Inuyasha could tell Kouga just wanted to get close to Miroku and get him in a sleeper hold to end this. And the wolf’s frustration was growing with each passing minute. Miroku had already impressed Inuyasha to the point of moving on in the recruitment process but he wanted to see how this would end. He just hoped Kouga didn’t hurt the human too badly. 

Kouga lunged again, shooting low for Miroku’s legs, but it had been a decoy. Kouga planted his right hand on the ground and then kicked his foot up to connect with Miroku’s chest. The force sent him back almost ten feet and the baton clattered across the mat. Miroku tried to scramble up but the blow had knocked the wind out of him. Before he could regain his breath, Kouga was there with his forearm around Miroku’s throat, his other hand gripping his bicep. Miroku tried to buck his hips to loosen the grip but Kouga’s demon strength was steadfast. Inuyasha watched Miroku’s hands on Kouga’s arm and waited to see the tap out. He hoped the man wouldn’t be stupid enough to let Kouga knock him unconcious. Instead, Inuyasha saw a violet light engulf Miroku’s hands and Kouga yelped in pain before he released him. The feeling of reiki suddenly coming from Miroku was unmistakable. It wasn’t nearly as strong as Kagome’s but it was enough to inflict lasting damage. Kouga was lucky this was just a friendly match or else his right arm would be unusable instead of just having a mild burn on it. 

Inuyasha snapped his head towards Kagome and was met with her trying to hide a grin, “Oh did I not mention that?”

* * *

From what Kagome heard, Miroku’s initiation process was moving faster than hers had. But he still wasn’t an official member. And she had no idea when he would be. But in the meantime, she had her first mission with Inuyasha, Kouga and Sango. Kouga had driven them in the SUV as Inuyasha gave the mission breakdown from the front seat. As they arrived at their destination, a shipping yard on the coast, Kagome replayed what Inuyasha said over again in her head.

_ “Kouga will take the lead if any of Naraku’s people show up. If he needs help, Sango you’re up. I’ll track the scent of the heroin and Kagome, you’ll help me dispose of it.” _

Cutting open the heroin packages and pouring bleach all over them would take too long, especially if they were met with some opposition, so their only option was to burn it. Quick and effective. The problem was that that amount of narcotic fumes would be toxic to all of them, demon or not. That’s why Kagome had a metal recurve bow and arrows strapped to her back as the four crept along the boardwalk near the shipyard. Seemed she was going to get to live out her Lord of the Ring fantasy tonight. 

Each of them were dressed similarly, in all black that blended them into the shadows of the tall shipping crates (Kagome was glad she got a replacement top for the one Goshinki had ruined). In the long car ride the girls had taken turns braiding each other's hair and had  _ almost _ convinced Inuyasha to let them braid his. But Kouga had been a good sport and his usual high ponytail was also plaited in a thick pattern down his back. 

As they silently stalked towards the scent of heroin, Kagome released her hold on her reiki. She had been more liberal with it in the past weeks and it felt good to let go. Any of Naraku’s demons would be able to sense Inuyasha and Kouga anyways so there was no real point to shield herself. One less thing for her to worry about tonight. Inuyasha led the way until they all felt the presence of another youkai appear. Without acknowledging his departure, Kouga veered off towards the demonic aura. Inuyasha picked up the pace and it wasn’t long before Sango circled back to get a different vantage point on their newly arrived enemy. That left Kagome and Inuyasha running down an aisle towards one particular shipping container. 

“That one.” Inuyasha pointed to a metal container painted maroon stacked in the middle of a hundred other containers that looked exactly like it. They would have to get the thing open to successfully set the contents aflame. As Inuyasha started to work on the latched door, Kagome drew her handguns and covered him. She could see Kouga fighting with a figure with long pale pink hair. But fighting wasn’t the right word. The other demon wasn’t even defending itself. Kouga’s pace was relentless, he punched and kicked over and over again and yet the other figure just took the beating. Sango kept her distance but was ready if Kouga needed her. Every time Kagome thought it was over, the youkai would just get back up again for another round as if nothing had happened. 

The next time Kouga knocked the youkai down, he hit him in the direction of Kagome and Inuyasha. The proximity was enough for the demon to notice Inuyasha and his handheld blowtorch cutting away at the metal of Naraku’s container. Cold blue eyes slowly shifted from Inuyasha to Kagome. She could feel his dark youki reach out to her and mingle with her own reiki as if sweetly caressing it. The feeling hit Kagome’s soul deep down and made her fucking ill. She fired four purification bullets just trying to get him to withdraw his youki from hers. It had worked but all her bullets had missed. She wasn’t surprised. She hadn’t even taken the time to aim properly and this youkai was just as fast as Kouga. The demon’s focus was now fully on Inuyasha, completely forgetting about the wolf.

“Incoming.” Kagome mumbled to the hanyou behind her. That was all he needed to hear to drop his tool and draw his sword. Kagome could feel the demonic energy coming from the weapon and filed that away for a later date. 

Inuyasha moved away from Kagome and the pink haired demon sidestepped to follow him down a different row of the yard. Kagome watched them for a moment and was surprised how quickly the demon dodged Inuyasha’s attacks. She saw Kouga and Sango move closer ready to step in if the time came, so Kagome picked up the blowtorch and resumed getting the doors open. She could hear Inuyasha yelling instructions at Kouga and Sango but she didn’t focus on his words, only the simple task in front of her. After what felt like far too long, Kagome cut through the last latch. She hooked the torch to her belt and then swung the doors open. The inside of the container was filled about two-third of the way up to the ceiling with wooden crates and cardboard boxes. Just to make sure they had the right container, Kagome took one of her knives out and sliced open a box. Bags of dog treats stared back at her. Kagome gave a dry snort and threw the layers of treats behind her. And at the very bottom of the box were rows and rows of white powder neatly wrapped in plastic. Bingo.

Kagome turned back, guns drawn, ready to help purify the youkai when she saw Inuyasha slice his arm off.  _ Good, that should slow him down. _ But as she ran towards the fight, Kagome gut was saying otherwise. Something strange happened. It was like...like the demon’s youki split in half. Typically when a demon loses a part of their body their demonic aura leaves that part. Kagome considered the possibility of this demon having regenerative powers like Goshinki supposedly did, but even so, that’s not what this felt like. Kagome zeroed in on the ‘arm’ behind Inuyasha only to realize the youki of it was even stronger than the demon itself.  _ What the hell? _ And then it moved.

“Inuya-” She tried to yell but it was too late. Whatever the hell he had sliced off of the first demon had sprung up and torpedoed through Inuyasha’s right shoulder. He grunted in pain and stumbled to his knees. Kagome stepped closer, trying to see what it was. Kagome grimaced at the disgusting worm-like creature on the ground in the middle of their group. It had huge scythes for hands and its tiny head looked exactly like the original youkai they had been fighting.

“What the fuck is that thing?” Kouga barked.

The tiny worm smacked its lips and chuckled darkly, “Who knew dog meat was so tender?” Inuyasha used his sword to help him stand, “Who the hell are you?” His right arm was clearly out of commission now. 

“The name’s Kageromaru. I’ve been lying dormant inside Juromaru here. But I didn’t want to miss out on  _ all _ the fun.” His deep voice taunted. Without taking his eyes off of Kageromaru, Inuyasha ordered, “Kouga, Sango, you take the big one.” The unspoken words were that Kagome was going to help take this nasty little youkai down with him. Inuyasha readied himself, his left hand now in control of his sword, and Kagome took aim. The little bugger was fast, too fast. Kagome was having a hard time tracking him as he tried to slice through Inuyasha. The hanyou kept his distance, not wanting to catch the wrong end of Kagome’s bullets. Finally she thought she had Kageromaru and she fired. Pink reiki engulfed the bullets as they lodged into the side of another shipping container.

“Oh good, you brought the girl.” Kageromaru turned as if noticing Kagome for the first time. He lunged towards her but Inuyasha was there to block him.

“Here, here little Miko I just want a taste.”

Kagome was never going to be able to track him well enough to get a shot off. And even though she hated the idea of fighting this creature close range, she holstered her guns and grabbed two fixed blade daggers instead. Her reiki flowed freely as her eyes darted around the shipyard. It was like his youki was moving faster than his body and she could only barely catch the tail end of him. Inuyasha seemed to be making headway and then he stopped fifteen feet from her and looked around. He didn’t have to say it, Kagome had lost Kageromaru too. Trying to focus on his youki, Kagome closed her eyes and shut out the world around her. She rarely used this technique but she had never encountered a demon like Kageromaru before. Her mind stilled and then-

Kagome opened her eyes and it was as if the world was in slow motion. Kageromaru’s tiny head flashed in front of her face, a wicked smile across his lips. He slowly raised his left arm to strike. Kagome wanted to move, she  _ tried _ to move, but her arm felt so heavy. She watched the glint of Kageromaru’s scythe as it came down on her throat. Kagome knew turning her head would do nothing to alleviate the blow but it was the only thing she could move. And then, just as Kageromaru was about to connect with her flesh, another blade came into Kagome’s line of sight and sliced through Kageromaru, severing his head from his wormish body. One more heartbeat and everything flooded back into normal speed around Kagome. There, where Kageromaru’s body had just been in front of her, was Inuyasha breathing as if fire was about to come out of his mouth.

“Are you ok?” His sword was sheathed and his hands were touching her shoulders, her arms, her face. She couldn’t stop looking at his eyes and the desperation she saw in them. She should be dead. Her hands were empty. She didn’t remember dropping her daggers. Her hands grab onto his wrists. She squeezed them just to see if her body still worked. “Kagome?” His voice matched the distress in his eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah.” Is all she could say. She didn’t know how long they stood like that. Inuyasha moved first and it broke the strange spell Kagome had been under. Kagome rubbed her eyes and quickly became fully conscious of what transpired. She took one cleansing breath and reached down to her daggers. Without hesitation, she impaled each half of Kageromaru’s body. A pink light engulfed the pieces and then they burst into flames. Within seconds Kageromaru was reduced to ash.

Kagome turned to where Sango and Kouga were still fighting Juromaru. The trio were on the top row of the stacked shipping containers two aisles away from them. Inuyasha didn’t move to help them but jumped up to the top of the container next to where he stood. Kagome climbed up after him and watched Sango and Kouga fight in sync. It was obvious they worked well together. Kouga used mostly hand to hand combat while Sango favored a three-foot long bladed boomerang. Kagome had never seen anything like it and she swore it defied the laws of physics. But the most amazing thing was the red glow it had that destroyed demonic energy. Juromaru was looking worse for wear, blood dripping from multiple places on his torso, and he was far slower now than he had been when they arrived. Seemed that Kageromaru gave him more strength than they realized. Kouga roundhouse kicked Juromaru’s face and sent him flying to the ground before cutting his air supply off with a headlock. One very similar to the one he used on Miroku, except this time Kouga was not holding back. Kouga held the position until Juromaru’s body went limp from lack of oxygen.

“Ready?” Kouga called to Sango.

“Yup!” She yelled back.

Kouga shifted Juromaru’s weight to get a better hold on the unconscious demon. He held him sideways by the elbow and knee before he effortlessly tossed him into the air. That’s when Sango threw her weapon, the red glow ready to destroy any youki in its path. The boomerang sliced right through Juromaru, effectively killing him.

“Here.” Inuyasha held his left hand out to Kagome without any other explanation. Kagome gave him a confused look but slowly took his hand nonetheless. The second they made contact, Inuyasha pulled her to his side, wrapped his arm around her waist and jumped to the container Sango and Kouga stood on.

“Oof, warn a girl next time.” Kagome mumbled under her breath. Inuyasha snorted but didn’t mention it again.

“You get the worm?” Sango asked, wiping the residue off of her weapon. Kagome didn’t miss the sideways glance Inuyasha gave her before he answered, “Of course. Kagome, will you do the honors for Juromaru too?” With a grin and a flourish of her wrists, Kagome spun the knives around before throwing each of them at Juromaru’s remains. The pink flame engulfed his carcass before it dispersed into ashes.

“Show off.” Kouga mumbled and the rest of them laughed.

With a smile still on her lips, Kagome spoke, “The door to Naraku’s container is open and ready.” 

“Kouga, you still got that flask I gave you?” Inuyasha asked, taking his own from his back pocket. Kouga whined but reached into his pocket as well. It was obvious he was debating taking a drink but Inuyasha didn’t give him the chance. The hanyou snatched the flask and jumped off the stacked containers towards the one they needed to destroy. After some maneuvering, Sango and Kagome were both safely on the ground running towards their SUV. Kouga already had the engine running and AC blasting. Sango clapped Kagome on the back and jumped into the backseat.

Kagome finally removed the bow and two arrows from her back. Inside one of the pockets on her belt was a large wad of cotton. Kagome split the fluff in two and jammed the arrowheads through each one. She took the blowtorch from earlier but waited to light the arrows until Inuyasha was running towards her with a thumbs up. Lighting the cotton, Kagome notched both arrows and aimed at the opening of the container. She released them with an exhale and the arrows arced through the air and into the entrance to the container. Whatever accelerant Inuyasha used, he made sure to spread it all the way throughout the container because the flames quickly engulfed the entire thing. Kagome could feel the heat even from eighty yards away. And then she remembered exactly  _ what _ was burning and she turned to jump into the SUV.


	9. Chapter 9

The one thing that always relaxed Kagome was a so-bad-it’s-good, cringey movie. Ok, so back when she was a teenager she didn’t  _ necessarily _ watch them ironically…(what fourteen year old girl  _ didn’t _ love Troy Bolton??) But now, as an adult with a fully formed prefrontal cortex, Kagome could appreciate cheesy romance films for all of their terrible glory. The plots were painfully easy to follow, the production was usually subpar and the scripts were just *chef’s kiss*. Throw anything supernatural into the mix and Kagome wouldn’t hesitate. In the past few years Netflix had really upped the ante in their Christmas movies selection specifically. Hallmark had nothing on ‘A Christmas Prince’ or ‘The Princess Switch’. And Vanessa Hudgens just happened to be in  _ another _ shitty Christmas romance called ‘The Knight Before Christmas’. Kagome loved a good play on words. So she settled into the oversized sectional, tucked the blanket around her legs and propped her bowl of popcorn on the pillow next to her. All the stress of training, missions to take down Naraku and frustration of not having  _ any _ new information about her parents shoved into a box into the back of her mind for the next two hours.

The screen was still loading when the door behind her opened. Kagome rolled her eyes, she was  _ not _ changing it. There were three other tv rooms they could watch baseball in. What she didn’t expect was for Inuyasha to plop down on the couch two cushions away from her and ask, “What are we watching?”

He kicked his feet up to the ottoman and Kagome noticed he was dressed in gray joggers and barefoot. His eyes were trained on the tv but looked over to her expectantly when she didn’t answer right away.

“The Knight Before Christmas.”

“Like the children’s book?” He asked, unable to hear the K. 

“Um,  _ not exactly _ .” Kagome couldn’t keep the humor out of her voice. 

They both turned back to the large screen mounted on the wall across from them and watched as the opening scene revealed a snowy countryside and the words   
Norwich, England  
December 18, 1334

“Oh my god  _ yes _ it’s going to be time travel.” Kagome gleefully mumbled to herself.

“Time travel?” It was clear he was confused. After a few more minutes of watching, “Ohh knight not night.”

The screen changed to another location. “Ohio? So not only does he travel through time but he ends up in the Midwest?” Kagome hid her grin by eating a handful of popcorn. The two continued to watch the movie in companionable silence, until they couldn’t hold their tongues. 

…….

Kagome snorted as the girl hit the love interest with her car. She full on cackled when the woman offered to take him home with her. 

“No! He’s a complete stranger!” Inuyasha balked, waving his arm at the screen.

“She is so dumb!” Kagome laughed in disbelief.

…….

“Dripping wet in a towel. Classic!” Kagome’s face hurt from grinning so much, her eyes following every movement on the screen.

“Oh my god she wants him so bad.” Inuyasha groaned and then leaned over to grab some popcorn from Kagome’s bowl. Instead of returning to his sitting position, he chose to lay horizontal with his head propped on his hand.

…….

“Don't do it dude.”

“He’s gonna do it.”

Inuyasha and Kagome both burst out laughing when the knight went behind the woman to ‘help her knead the dough’.

…….

“On the cheek? Boooo!” 

…….

When the movie couple finally  _ did _ kiss, “Eh four out of ten.” Kagome judged

“You didn’t like that?” Inuyasha looked up at her.

Kagome didn’t take her eyes off the screen, “Her hand looked weird and there wasn’t any passion.” Kagome scrunched her nose

…….

“ _ In love _ . After  _ 6 _ days.” 

“He’s old fashioned.” 

…….

Inuyasha fake gagged at the crescendo of corny love profession. Kagome grimaced when the townsfolk literally applauded as they rode away on the horse. And then the credits rolled.

“What about a social security number? How is he supposed to get a job?” Inuyasha straightened up but turned his body towards Kagome. She moved the now empty popcorn bowl to the ottoman and curled her legs up on the couch.

“He should worry more about what he’s going to put on his resume.” Kagome grinned.

“That was truly terrible.” But Inuyasha’s face didn’t match his words. Kagome knew he had enjoyed it just as much as she had.

“Oh that was nothing. There was this one where a hot ghost was haunting this bed and breakfast, the woman befriended him, they figured out who murdered him and then he was just alive again so they could be together!”

Inuyasha just stared at Kagome, blinking his eyes with his mouth agape. 

“The  _ Spirit _ of Christmas.”

“I don’t- I can’t-,” Inuyasha stuttered and then chuckled, “Why do you watch this shit?”

“They're kind of my guilty pleasure. Sometimes it's just fun to laugh at how awful and cheesy they are.”

“I took you for more of a Witcher, Game of Thrones type of girl.” 

Kagome scoffed, “Too intense, my real life is serious enough. If I’m trying to relax, I want to laugh.” She smiled. 

“Hopefully it doesn’t rot your brain.” Inuyasha scratched his eyebrow and admired her sweet smile. 

Kagome just rolled her eyes, “It’s harmless. Besides, what do  _ you _ do to relax? And  _ don’t _ say work out.”

Inuyasha paused for a moment, looking away from Kagome, “I guess I like board games.” He said lightly.

“Yeah?” He was surprised she sounded genuinely interested.

He rubbed the stubble on his chin before adding, “Trivia is my favorite.”

“You know Netflix has Jeopardy...”

* * *

It was well past midnight as Kagome snuck into her room. The other three had been asleep for hours now and she didn’t want to disturb them. After readying herself in the bathroom, Kagome laid down softly on her top bunk. She still had a smile on her face and she recalled the scenes from her night in the tv room. With Inuyasha.

He was weirdly good at answering the Jeopardy questions, he knew all of the history and literature ones. And she liked the competitive nature of it. The best was when he was  _ so _ confident of an answer and  _ she _ was the one who got it right. She bit her lip at the memory of him jokingly hitting her with a throw pillow over a question about a Disney channel movie from the late nineties. 

Her stomach was filled with butterflies.  _ Oh shit.  _ She realized, the smile freezing on her lips. Her stomach was filled with fucking  _ butterflies. _

This had started as just a plan. A plan to get on Inuyasha’s good side. A plan to get information about her parents. And now she had butterflies?!  _ Stupid fucking Miroku. _ She just wanted someone to direct her annoyance at but her own body was the one betraying her. Tonight didn’t feel like part of her plan. Tonight was real. And fun. And the more chances she gave Inuyasha, the more she liked him. And that scared the ever loving shit out of her.

* * *

Even though it was the middle of winter, the compound’s pool was heated to a comfortable 85°. Still, with the night temperature nearing freezing, Kagome was the only one brave enough to be outside at this time. As she finished her last lap, she moved to the side of the pool where a forty-five pound weight plate sat. She lifted it into the water, held it against her chest and took a breath. She quickly sank underwater until she was seated on the bottom of the deep end. 

Kagome’s muscles were sore from the previous night’s mission. They had run into Kagura again. She was the most elusive of Naraku’s gang and a total bitch too. Kagome had taken a few blows with her wind attack and multiple bruises had bloomed up across her torso and legs. Suikotsu made sure there was no internal bleeding and told her to take it easy. Kagome hadn’t exerted herself  _ too  _ much in training that morning but now her body was restless. It only grew more restless when she felt Inuyasha’s youki approach. 

Kagome continued to hold her breath but her meditation exercise couldn’t continue if she let him distract her. She kept her eyes closed and took inventory of each muscle in her body starting at her toes.  _ Flex, hold, release, flex, hold, release.  _ She hadn't even gotten to her shoulders when she could feel his youki right above her. She would have sighed if she had any air in her lungs. Instead, she stood and slowly walked along the bottom of the pool to the shallow end. She felt very Blue Crush. Once her head was above the water, she moved the weight plate to the concrete edge.

“You know I can sense you right?” Her back was to him, but she knew he could hear her.

“I forget sometimes. I didn’t want to startle you.” Inuyasha called back as he walked around to join her. He was wearing red swim trunks and a black sweatshirt, a towel slung over her shoulder. Kagome tried not to think if this was a coincidence or if he knew she was out here to begin with. She covered up her thoughts with a dramatic roll of her eyes and a push back to the middle of the pool. Once she was where her feet couldn’t touch she started treading water.

“So what else can you do?” Kagome cocked her head to the side, “With your powers, I mean.” Inuyasha clarified.

Kagome smirked, “Besides purify every drop of demon blood in your body?” Teasing him just came naturally now.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha reached behind his neck and pulled his sweatshirt over his head, “ _ besides _ that.” His tanned torso now on display. 

_ Fucking hell. _ Kagome deserved a gold medal for not ogling his body. She should be fucking use to it by now. He, along with most of the male members, were usually shirtless during training and workouts. But, with the only lighting coming from the pool, the visual did something to her. Thank god he couldn’t smell her while she was in the water. “Would you believe me if I told you I can fly?”

Inuyasha’s hands froze as they knotted his long silver locks into a bun, “No fucking way.”

Kagome laughed, “Of course I can’t fly, you idiot.” He kicked water at her before he crouched down to the edge. His biceps flexed as he lowered his body to stretch out and enter the water. His hip bones, his obliques, the dips and curves of each of his muscles. Kagome dunked herself underwater just to get away from the view of him.  _ Is he fucking doing this on purpose?  _ Her brain screamed. When she came back to the surface, the temptation of Inuyasha’s body was out of view and he had moved further towards the deep end. He even managed to keep a respectable distance from her.

“So does my brother get to join or what?” She asked, needing a new topic to focus on.

Inuyasha dipped himself fully under the water and came back up with his bangs pushed into the rest of his hair, “He’ll be introduced at the next meeting.” Kagome hummed in contemplation.

“What? I thought that’s what you wanted.” All humor was gone from his voice.

“Sango has been acting weird lately.” 

“Weird how?” Inuyasha slowly moved in a circle around her.

“Jumpy, skittish, aloof.” 

“And?”

“Well…” Kagome only debated voicing her thought for a moment, “I’m wondering if that’s because she is the one who has to  _ initiate _ Miroku.”

Inuyasha’s amber eyes looked towards the dark night sky, “Even if I knew who was initiating Miroku, you know I couldn't tell you.”

“I know,” Kagome elongated the word, “But can you just indulge me in some speculation right now?” Her treading arms turned her to match his movement.

“Fine. What’s the big deal if they have sex?”

“Miroku has feelings for Sango and even though she does a great job of deflecting, I know she likes his attention.”

“Great, so they should have fun.” He shrugged simply.

“ _ Or _ it could ruin everything.”

“How so?”

Kagome looked towards the heavens, exasperated, “Men.” and then continued, “If you move too fast then it could ruin the  _ potential _ . They haven’t even explicitly said they like each other and now they have to have sex? It's ass backwards for a good relationship.” Kagome hadn’t noticed they were a mere five feet apart now. 

“Or,” Inuyasha’s amber eyes glowed as they scanned her face, “maybe the intimacy could force them to address their feelings.” His voice was low. So low. So low that Kagome wanted to move closer to him. So low that she wanted him to speak directly into her ear. 

_ What the hell were they talking about again?  _ For the second time in less than ten minutes, Kagome was glad her lower half was underwater.

“Maybe I shouldn’t talk about my brothers sex life anymore.” Kagome broke her gaze away from his and forced a laugh, “Shippo mentioned  _ you _ have a brother?”

She could see the shift in his demeanor, “Half-brother.” 

“Same…?” Kagome prompted.

“Same dad, different moms. His mom is a inuyoukai too, where mine was human.”

“Was?” Kagome asked softly. Inuyasha blew a breath out through pursed lips and then wiped a wet hand down his face. “You don’t-” Kagome started to say to dissuade him from talking about it.

“My parents are both dead. Stab wounds to the chest. Them and another couple who were founding members of the rebellion were murdered the same night, the same way.”

Kagome’s mouth felt like sandpaper. It took everything in her power not to show any telling emotion. Was she still breathing? Why was it so hard to breathe all of the sudden? “Do you have any idea who did it?”

“Naraku.” Inuyasha’s voice was ice cold and his eyes shone with pure malice.

This was Kagome’s first  _ real _ lead. Her parents had to have fallen victim to the same man Inuyasha’s had. And it only furthered the theory that it was a friend. That left two options: either one of the old members worked for Naraku and did his dirty work, or Naraku (or one of his wards) had shape shifting powers.

* * *

Kagome had to double check with Miroku but he had never heard of any youkai having shapeshifting abilities either. That led Kagome to the internet, and with literally billions of hits about youkais none of them mentioned shapeshifting. Ok. That’s fine. So that narrowed down her search to the members of the Shikon Rebellion from twenty years ago. It was difficult to convince Shippo to let her see the documents from back then without revealing  _ why, _ but the kid took her word for it being ‘Naraku related’. There was no official roster of members but there  _ were _ mission logs. Kagome went through every single one and wrote down every name she found. There were sixteen in all, not counting her or Inuyasha’s parents. Sixteen was doable. Each google search started with the old member’s first and last name along with ‘city of Shikon’. She knew the murderer had been a man but she wasn’t ruling out the women just yet. Seven members’ searches resulted in archived obituaries. Kagome checked their pictures just to make sure and none of them were who she was looking for. For the remaining eleven, Kagome found LinkedIn profiles, company websites and even Facebook pages. She spent hours pouring over web links and pictures and fucking none of them were the fucking guy. She wanted to scream. 


	10. Chapter 10

With Naraku being a government official, it wasn’t hard to find pictures of him. There were literally years worth of photos of him all over the web. (Why the fuck weren’t there term limits for the Shikon Governor?) Kagome now spent every free second she had scouring the internet for the man who killed her parents in the background of all of Naraku’s photos. It was a monotonous task and Kagome’s eyes burned from looking at her computer screen for hours on end. Naraku was a slimy man who dressed exclusively in high end suits and Kagome was tired of seeing his creepy face. Gray suit, gray suit, black suit, gray suit, navy suit, gray suit. There were a few months in 2012 that he ventured out into more bold colors and that was the most entertainment Kagome had had in weeks. She still trained and went out on missions and worked her shifts at Slayers but she also had a perma-headache and was growing more irritated by the day. The same stupid faces kept coming up in all the pictures. His assistant, his chief of staff, his driver, his fucking  _ entourage _ . Anytime Kagome didn’t recognize someone she had to reverse search their image and find out everything about them. Miroku only helped a little. There were plenty of ‘new hires’ throughout Naraku’s career, but all of them were dead ends. She may or may not have thrown her laptop across her apartment. 

The one solace was that Kanna, Kagura and every other ‘ward’ they had already taken out weren’t in any of the online photos either. Apparently Naraku kept his personal business out of his government business. So the man Kagome was looking for could still be working for Naraku and she was just wasting her time looking through pictures. New plan: kill all of Naraku’s henchmen until she gets to the one man she wants. Ok, so the ‘new plan’ wasn’t much different than her mission objectives to begin with but… Fuck, she just never wanted to look at a computer again.

* * *

The February air was cold but Kagome didn’t give a shit. They had a lead that two of Naraku’s wards were spotted near a warehouse downtown. It was strange since Naraku liked to stick to the outskirts of the city, but if Kagome could cross off two more suspects from her list, fine by her.

Sango drove tonight and Kagome was next to Kouga in the back seat. “Our intel didn’t have the names of these demons so we’re going in blind here. This warehouse used to be a well known hub for Naraku a few years ago. It’s been quiet since then but keep an eye out for any useful contraband.” Inuyasha spoke clearly as he stared at the road in front of them. Not five minutes later, Sango was slowing to a stop in a gravel back alley. The group exited the SUV as quietly as they could but it didn’t matter because Kagome couldn’t sense anyone else there. A quick glance at Inuyasha and Kouga told her they didn’t either. “You smell anything?” Kouga whispered.

“Nothing.” Inuyasha replied. That put all four of them on edge. Was this a trap? An ambush? They moved in a diamond formation with guns drawn; Inuyasha taking the lead, Sango and Kagome flanking him and Kouga bringing up the rear. The four of them had been working together for months now and it was like second nature. Kagome’s reiki searched the entire warehouse and the buildings surrounding it. She pushed it as far as she could reach but she didn’t feel anyone with any demonic or spiritual auras anywhere. The possibility of an ambush was quickly slipping away. But it could still be a trap. Maybe the building was rigged with explosives or toxic gas. No, Inuyasha and Kouga would have smelled the fumes. The warehouse was eerily quiet and Kagome was just itching for something to happen. It was like that feeling in a horror movie where you know something scary is going to pop out but then it never does. Like psychological blue balls or something. 

They searched the building but it was obvious it was empty. Clearly Naraku wasn’t using it at the moment. “Maybe we got bad info?” Sango tried. Inuyasha only hummed in response as they headed back to the SUV. Kagome’s body was confused with the adrenaline build up and then lack of action. It was giving her a headache and pissing her the fuck off. Months,  _ months _ , she had been a member of The Militia and she had nothing to show for it except a computer full of dead ends.

She wanted to punch something.

* * *

It was just past 10:00pm when the four arrived back at the compound. None of them spoke as they unloaded the SUV and headed in different directions. Sango and Kouga both went for the stairs but there was no way Kagome could sleep right now. So she beelined it for the training facilities out back.

Kagome shucked her long sleeve mission top off of her body along with her holsters and belt. Her jaw was tight and she just wanted to get the excess energy out of her body. She fully released her hold on her reiki but it barely made a difference. Her movements to wrap her hands were jerky and rough. The wrap job was subpar at best but Kagome was too annoyed to redo it, instead she just grabbed a pair of grappling gloves and headed for a heavy bag. Kagome forwent any usual warm up movements or stretches and just started unleashing on the bag hanging in front of her. Jab, jab, hook, kick. Jab, jab, hook, kick, kick. She pooled her reiki in her knuckles and pushed it out at the bag. It swung more than normal but Kagome still wasn’t satisfied. And then she felt Inuyasha’s youki filling her space.

Irritation prickled at Kagome’s skin but it was quickly replaced with furious determination; it was more fun to hit a  _ moving _ target than a stationary bag. She whirled around and pinned the hanyou with a heated glare. 

Kagome’s reiki was overpowering the entire gym and it was making it hard for Inuyasha to concentrate. The air was thick with energy and then she looked at him and his youki flared uncontrollably. Something else was going on, this wasn’t just frustration from a bogus mission. But before Inuyasha could speak, Kagome was throwing hand wraps and grappling gloves at his chest and taking her shoes and socks off. She slid into the ring and paced until he joined her. Fine, if she didn’t want to talk, they wouldn’t talk. 

Kagome attacked first without warning. She jabbed with her right fist and then hooked with her left but Inuyasha blocked both of them with his forearms while moving his body expertly out of her way. Kagome lifted her leg to kick, but their shins met in a bone on bone stalemate. She threw a backhand and Inuyasha ducked. He threw a hook with his right arm and she elbows his bicep and his fist went high. Kagome took a half step back and spun trying to land a roundhouse kick to his head. He easily dodged it and they both bounced on their toes and waited. Inuyasha threw a combination of punches but Kagome read all of them. She jabbed her right arm and Inuyasha caught her bent elbow and spins so she is now bent over with him to the side of her. She used her free arm to punch his knee and then his stomach and spun out of his hold to elbow the back of his head. He released her with a grunt. His next punch was aimed for her head but Kagome dropped down, locked his arm above her head, and turned to flip him over her shoulder. He was impressed with the move but had to move quickly to dodge her next kick. Inuyasha bluffed with a punch but then kicked Kagome in the side, knocking her off balance. She flared her nostrils and righted herself as he waited for her to recover. They both punched but somehow locked each other’s arms on their shoulders in another stalemate. She didn’t think about Inuyasha’s height advantage or how he was going easy on her. Kagome just lifted her knee and drove it into Inuyasha’s side twice. He grunted and gritted his teeth but didn't release her. She jumped and tried to use both feet to kick him in the stomach but he shifted his grip to her biceps and then slammed her onto the mat. Air wooshed out of Kagome’s lungs but she didn’t need it. She flipped him off of her and continued to attack. Her movement was slower though and somehow Inuyasha wound around her legs, dropped her back to the mat and locked his legs around her neck. Her right arm was in an uncomfortable position as he pulled on it, making her immobile.  _ Fucking armbar.  _ There was a beat where Kagome didn't move. She could see the sweat on his temples and neck and that stupid fucking smirk on his lips like he’d won. But the idiot left her legs free. Kagome’s left leg flew up and connected right with Inuyasha’s jaw. His grip slacked and Kagome rolled out of his hold. Inuyasha slowly stood, wiped his mouth and then spit out of the ring. “That wasn’t very nice.” He growled. He shook each arm once and then raised his fists back in a ready position. Kagome was panting out her breaths but felt her lips quirk at his words. Inuyasha lunged forwards with an inhumanly fast combination of hits and kicks. He wasn’t holding back his speed but Kagome was thankful that he  _ was _ still holding back his strength. She did her best to block his advances but that meant she wasn’t able to get in any hits of her own. Then, finally, she saw an opening. He left his chest open and Kagome planned for a three kick combo. She only got one in before Inuyasha grabbed her ankle and knee and threw her to the mat. Limbs scrambled to regain control but Kagome felt the resistance.

Her face was hovering over the mat as she fruitlessly struggled against Inuyasha’s iron clad hold. She could feel her arms wound behind her back, her forearms hugging each other, unmovable. Inuyasha’s legs were between hers, pushing her knees wide so they too were no help to her. Kagome took the moment to catch her breath and accept her defeat. In the next breath Kagome realized the suggestive position they were in and was defenseless against the thoughts that followed. The combination of deja vu of Inuyasha behind her, her legs spread for him and the adrenaline from their fight had heat rushing to Kagome’s core. She closed her eyes and gave into the memory of his body pressing into hers, no clothes as a barrier between them. Her frustration from earlier tonight was manifesting in a different way now and Kagome’s body screamed for a release. 

“ _ Don’t _ .” Inuyasha growled into her ear and tightened his hold on her arms. 

“Or what?” Kagome taunted back. She then lowered her cheek and chest to the mat and arched her back in a way that changed the angle she was pushing back into Inuyasha.

She didn’t know how but, in an instant, Inuyasha had maneuvered her legs around him and flipped her around on the mat with a snap of his wrist. His hands still had a hold on her wrists but now above her head. His body was directly over her but made no contact. Amber eyes pierced through her, desperately looking for something...permission maybe. She was drowning in his youki and the only answer Kagome gave was bringing her right leg up to wrap around the back of his thigh and licking her lips. Inuyasha’s lips were on hers before her tongue was even back in her own mouth. He released her wrists and both of them scrambled to remove their gloves and hand wraps as quickly as they could without breaking contact. Once her hands were free, Kagome ripped Inuyasha’s tight shirt over her head and pulled him back down to her.

“I don’t have a-“ he mumbled between kisses.

She cut him off, “IUD.” 

Inuyasha effortlessly sliced the straps of her sports bra and then down the sides with his claws and pulled it away from her sweat slick body. Using her legs to roll him over so she was on top, Kagome growled out, “You’re replacing that.”,

“Gladly.” He mumbled back, flipping their positions again as if they were still sparring.

He kissed down her bare torso, his arms wrap around her rib cage to lift her off the mat. Her skin was hot and salty and his tongue lavished her breasts until goosebumps appeared. One hand moved down her back to palm her ass through her leggings and groaned at the delicious muscle he felt there. He pulled her hips closer to his and ground into her core to try and alleviate the tension in his groin. Kagome moved her hands from exploring his taunt tendons to her waistband to try and wiggle out of her tight bottoms. Although the feeling of her wiggling beneath him was erotic, Inuyasha moved his hands to help push the fabric past her knees. Once there, Kagome was able to toe them off the rest of the way and open her bare legs to Inuyasha. Who was still wearing his stupid fucking shorts. Kagome gave an annoyed grunt and felt Inuyasha grin into their kiss, which only frustrated her more.

Kagome grabbed the end of his messy ponytail and pulled to expose his neck. She bit down on it, palming his stiffness, and she rasped, “ _ Come on. _ ” Inuyasha pushed his shorts down far enough to release his erection. His shaft was hot against Kagome’s stomach and she broke the kiss. Steel blue staring right at him, she silently dripped saliva on her hand and gripped him, coating his member in the makeshift lubricant. Inuyasha’s eyes grew impossibly dark and he hoarsely said, “Good girl.” and Kagome’s stomach flipped at the praise. 

He had imagined their night together countless times throughout the months. Replayed it for himself in his bed, in his shower, but no memory could hold up against sliding back into Kagome’s tight, slick warmth again. “Fuck, you feel so good,” he grunted from above her. The sensation of his length pushing into her without the barrier of a condom was earth shattering. Every nerve ending in his body was on fire and his sac tightened dangerously. He had tried to get Kagome out of his head but no other woman appealed to him anymore. Just the thought of being with someone else was unappetizing but the hunger was still there -- taunting him, teasing him with the knowledge that only  _ one _ could satiate it. Inuyasha never thought he would be here again: Kagome beneath him, her broken keens filling his ears as he sheathed himself fully inside her. But his hunger wasn’t alleviated, it was only magnified. It screams to Inuyasha that he was hers and only hers, that his body would never crave anyone but her. Inuyasha somehow grew harder inside of Kagome, each stroke long and thorough wanting to feel every single inch of her. Kagome’s thighs flexed around him with each thrust, pulling him even deeper into her.  “ _ God you’re so wet. Fuck — so tight and perfect. _ ”

Her back arched at his filthy affirmations and her nails clawed at his flexed biceps. He could feel her internal walls clenching around him at his words. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And he was the only one to do that to her, the only one inside her, the only one bringing her to orgasm. He was sure there was something selfish and toxic about that thought but the territorial inu in him gleamed at it. Her euphoric scent was all around him and his nose was drawn to her throat. The instinct to bite her there was overwhelming and his fangs felt engorged in his mouth at just the mental picture of sinking his teeth into her. He opened his mouth to scrape his canines against her pulse point and felt the reaction her body had to him. _Fuck_. If he didn’t slow down and cool his blood his youkai would take over and there was no telling the havoc he would reek. Inuyasha woefully pulled his mouth away from the temptation of Kagome’s neck and roughly kissed across her jaw instead, fangs dragging as he went. His claws tangled into her dark ponytail, rendering her head immobile. Kagome’s eyes flashed to his and he felt like he was in the middle of a sea storm. 

Not breaking eye contact, Kagome guided his hand from her breast, down her stomach to where they are connected. “ _ You want me to touch you? Want me to make you cum? _ ” His voice was enough to have Kagome clench around his hardness. Somehow they sounded more like commands than questions. Her response was a broken  _ yes.  _ But he didn't touch her, “ _ Say it Kagome. _ ” his claws push against the skin of her hips, his thumb teasing at just the edge of her pleasure. She groans in frustration but it soon turns into a whine, “Touch me. _ Please _ .” His thumb connected with her nerve bundle and his fingers splayed across her abdomen sensually. Kagome’s pleasure multiplied and she couldn't control the arch her body made or the moans that fell from her lips. “ _ That’s a good girl. _ ” He praised. With each thrust, he moved the pad of his thumb across her clit and lava flowed through her veins. She was going to erupt. Her reiki was reacting and she couldn’t control what was happening. 

Inuyasha felt her spiritual energy surround him. It was warm and light and it stroked his youki. And then it dipped farther, hitting a spot deep in Inuyasha he had never felt before and the sea storm turned into a full blown typhoon. Kagome’s moans were growing in intensity, broken words and curses fell uncontrollably from her lips. He could feel her walls starting to tighten around him. “ _ Cum for me Kagome, I’ve got you, let go _ .” His youki flared up to meet her reiki and it was like an explosion deep within her. Kagome’s head slammed into the mat as her orgasm racked through her body. Her inner muscles pulsed and clenched, begging Inuyasha to spill his seed into her and he couldn’t think clearly enough to pull out of her. His body spasmed and her name was like a mantra on his lips. She milked him until they were both limp and breathless. Inuyasha collapsed onto her, most of his weight on his forearms next to her head, and breathed into her neck. His mind was fuzzy from her scent, her body, her reiki. But he wanted to stay wrapped up in her forever. 

He was still inside of her when he said, “Come to my place.” He made it clear what he wanted -- a multitude of words unspoken but heard -- but still gave her the choice to deny him.

“Ok.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A guest reviewer on ff.net asked if I have a posting schedule. Short answer is no. I do this for fun and I don’t want that pressure with a hobby. But reviews definitely make me want to write faster because I have solid proof that people like what I’m writing! Another user over there (@ushmie) asked how many chapters I was planning for this story —16, give or take a chapter.

They dressed silently before leaving the sanctuary of the sparring ring. The cooled sweat of her leggings mixed with the evidence of what transpired between them pulled at Kagome’s conscience.  _ Was this a mistake? Should she just go back to her room? _ And then Inuyasha was there, retrieving her top and delicately helping her put it on, adjusting her mused ponytail and slowly curling her flyaways behind her ear. Looking up at him, her stomach flipped at the emotions swirling in amber pools. No one had ever looked at her like that and Kagome’s brain couldn’t comprehend what he was wordlessly saying. Whatever it was, it scared her—the vulnerability, the hope, the guilt. Inuyasha’s hand lingered at the side of her head, his claws lightly running through her hair, and she realized she didn’t  _ want _ to lie to him. She didn’t want to hide who she truly was from him. He had already seen so many different parts of her but she wanted him to see  _ all _ of her. But...could she have that? She stood on the tips of her toes to press a soft kiss to his mouth. Her eyes stayed open to stare into his, trying to reveal all her secrets without speaking the hard truths. 

His large hand was warm around hers as he guided her through the house and out the front door. Kagome didn’t think about the small cottage to the right very often, but now that Inuyasha was unlocking it with his thumb print she realized it was his private residence. It was quaint. Nothing like the extravagance of the main house. It was painted in warm creams and decorated in brown leathers, deep reds and weathered wood. It was very obviously a man’s house. It smelled of sandalwood and fir trees and Inuyasha. It was warm and...felt like a home. 

“Can I get you a drink?” Inuyasha’s voice was low to match the dim lighting of the cottage. 

“I don’t drink.” Kagome whispered, revealing another one of her truths to him. 

Inuyasha smiled down at her, claws tickling her wrist, “I have water.” 

When he disappeared into the kitchen Kagome stepped farther into his living room. The sectional was large and deep and looked too comfortable for its own good. Visions of popcorn and movies and wood fires filled her mind and Kagome yearned for a normal life that included those things instead of weapons training and demon purification.  _ Maybe both wasn’t a bad compromise.  _

Her eyes traveled to the large bookshelf in the corner. It was filled with novels and biographies and Kagome got another glimpse into Inuyasha’s mind. History and literature was something she knew he was knowledgeable about but seeing it in person was like a little secret they could share. She walked closer to examine the titles. The shelves were haphazardly organized with a few weathered titles even upside down. Kagome’s eyes scanned the lower rows, slowly making her way up. She didn’t know why she didn’t see the picture from the start, it was literally at her eye level. But when her eyes finally registered the photo in front of her her heart stuttered in her chest. Her mom and dad were smiling back at her, happy and brilliant and  _ alive _ . 

It was always one of her greatest regrets: not taking any pictures with her when she left the shrine all those years ago. What eight year old thought of that? What eight year old who just watched her parents’ murder thought of that? But those lonely nights in Mushin’s cabin — it was all she could think about. She never wanted to forget their faces but twenty years was a long time to hold a memory. Seeing them again, it was like breathing for the first time after being underwater for too long. Her chest felt lighter and she was back at the shrine, running up the endless stairs, climbing the trees and having dinner with her parents. Her eyes blurred from the tears that were threatening to fall. She reached for the photo and pulled it closer. Her mom was wearing that necklace, god she had forgotten about that necklace. It was a small pink gem that didn’t hold any significance to Kagome except that it was mom’s. And her dad — he was holding her mom so tight, squeezing her shoulders into his side with one arm and holding up a peace sign with the other. His smile was so beautiful and Kagome smiled back at him, rubbing her eyes dry. She blissfully looked at her parents’ faces until the logical question of  _ why _ filtered in.  _ Why did Inuyasha have a picture of her parents?  _ There were two other people in the photo and Kagome looked to the woman standing next to her mother. She was slightly taller than Asako and her long black hair reached to her waist. She was beautiful and elegant and looked like she could have been a catalog model. Her smile was kind and her eyes sparkled violet. Kagome noticed her mother and the other woman holding hands in a sweet display of friendship.

Kagome couldn’t remember any of her parents' friends but the obvious answer was that these people were Inuyasha’s parents. Kagome felt weird seeing how close the two couples had been and knowing how her and Inuyasha... _ interacted _ . Kagome grimaced and then laughed to herself. What would their life have been like if their parents had lived? Would her and Inuyasha have grown up together? Had awkward crushes on each other? Or seen each other more like siblings like her and Miroku had? There was a world of possibilities in that one photo and Kagome didn’t really want to think about a life not lived. Before putting the photo back on the shelf, Kagome looked to the man she assumed to be Inuyasha’s father. And then everything stopped. 

It was him. 

That was  _ him.  _

_ It was hard to breathe in the vent and even harder to stay silent. “What’s wrong with your eyes?” It was the last thing she would ever hear her father say. The look of pain and betrayal, the struggle to breathe crumbling her father’s face and then her mom was screaming. Kagome much preferred her mother’s screams to the sounds that took over and silenced her. But she forced her eyes open, she needed to see who did this to her parents, who did this to her. The room was dim, the only light coming from the kitchen on the other side of the house. But it was enough light to see the jagged blue marks like lightning high on the man’s cheeks. _

Kagome’s memory superimposed itself over the photo in her hands and it was undeniable that the two were the same. The long ponytail -- of fucking course it was silver -- she hadn’t been able to tell that night but it was painfully obvious now. And his eyes...Kagome furrowed her brow. Familiar amber eyes stared up at her but she knew the man’s eyes had been blood red that night. She shook her head, anger bursting through her. It didn’t fucking matter. Demon’s eyes changed colors, she had seen it plenty of fucking times. Kagome’s fury burned through her, igniting every nerve in her body, and her mind screamed,

_ Inuyasha’s father!  _

_ He said his parents died too!  _

_ Fucking LIAR!  _

_ Was his father still alive?  _

_ She would  _ fucking  _ kill him!  _

_ His fucking  _ father _?!  _

_ They had been friends!  _

_ Was Inuyasha covering up for him?  _

_ Did he know what his father did?  _

_ He had to know! _

“I have sparkling water too if that’s what you would prefer.” Inuyasha’s voice was low but everything sounded so loud to Kagome now. She whirled on him. He was behind the couch holding two glass cups. She had left her firearms on the gym floor but that was fine, she wanted to  _ feel _ his life force in her hands as she pulled the truth out of him.

“Tell-” She inhaled sharply through her nose, “tell me who this is.” She wanted to hear him say it. Say that it was his fucking  _ dad _ .

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes in confusion. Even if the scent of Kagome’s anger wasn’t saturating the room, her face easily gave away her emotions—tight jaw, flared nostrils, narrowed eyes. He squinted down to her shaking hand that was holding the frame from his book shelf. That was even weirder. “That’s my parents with some of their friends. They are the ones that were murdered the same night.”

That’s all she needed to hear. 

Kagome’s body moved toward Inuyasha. She didn’t know what happened to the picture frame. Maybe she dropped it, maybe she threw it at his head. Fire burned through her arms and down to her fists as she lunged at him, using the couch as a launching point to gain a height advantage on him. Her right fist connected solidly with his left temple, the water glasses shattered to the hardwood. His body hitting the floor beneath her jarred her a bit, but she didn’t stop the blows. Kagome got a few good punches in before Inuyasha finally reacted. Blood dotted the corner of his lip and his eyes were blown wide with confusion. He started dodging her hits easily enough but it was clear he wanted answers. 

“Kagome what the hell?!” He yelled. Inuyasha rolled her off of him as gently as he could and stood across from her, fists not positioned for a fight. Kagome's rage burned hotter as her hands were no longer making contact with his body. She quickly ducked and shot her leg to swipe Inuyasha’s. He was on his back once again. Kagome only landed one more hit to his eye before Inuyasha overpowered her to change their positions much like he had in the gym. Kagome hollered in rage and Inuyasha didn’t recognize the woman beneath him. Momentarily distracted, he didn’t anticipate Kagome’s ankles coming up to wrap around his throat and pull him backwards. They grappled on the ground for a few moments before Inuyasha broke apart from her once more. 

“Stop! I don’t want to fight you!” His stupid fucking face was really pissing her off. 

“That will make this a lot easier then.” Kagome’s voice was deadly low as he watched her slowly get up from the floor. Inuyasha didn’t miss the large glass shard she picked up from where the cups broke. But what really put him on edge was the sudden power of Kagome’s reiki crackling around him. He had never felt spiritual power like this. Even all the missions they had done together, it never felt like  _ this _ . And it was directed at  _ him _ . He was in danger. The piece of glass in her right hand glowed pink and she lunged, aiming to slice his neck. Inuyasha used his demonic speed to block Kagome’s arm with his left forearm while simultaneously putting pressure on a specific point near the back of Kagome’s neck with his fingers. His right arm then came up to push into the point under her jaw with the heel of his hand. Kagome’s body went rigid and the glass slowly fell from her grip. Inuyasha regrettably watched as Kagome’s steel blue eyes unfocus and then rolled back into her head. Her reiki retreated and her body went limp in his arms. 

* * *

Kagome was jolted back into consciousness with the smell of ammonia salts. Her head felt heavy and she knew when she moved, her neck would be sore as well. Keeping her eyes closed, Kagome took inventory of her body. Ankles, knees, thighs, wrists, biceps, torso -- they were all duct taped. To a chair. Her hands flexed in annoyance and she reached for her reiki. But something was, was...blocking it? She could feel the energy in her chest but it was like it was bottled up, temporarily sealed away. Kagome’s eyes flashed open to be met with a foreign necklace resting on her chest. Five purple beads between ivory, fang-like beads repeating over and over again like some hellish rosary.

“What the fuck are these?” She growled out, finally lifting her head. They were no longer in the living room. Kagome hadn’t toured his place so she had no idea  _ where _ they were. His office maybe? The only thing in the room were bookshelves against the walls and their chairs. Inuyasha sat six feet in front of her in a wingback chair, his posture obnoxiously relaxed.

“Beads of subjugation.” Inuyasha’s voice was even, guarded.

Kagome’s eyes narrowed. “What-”

“ _ You _ don’t get to ask questions here.” He snapped, his voice changed to something gravelly and rough as he leaned his elbows onto his knees. It was then that Kagome realized her predicament. She was incapacitated, without her reiki at the whim of a the murderer’s son. She bit the inside of her cheek and tried not to let the fear seep in.

“Who do you work for?”

Kagome steeled her face and just stared back at him.

“Who sent you?”

Though he had many of his father’s demonic traits, Inuyasha looked far more like his mother. Maybe it was the eyes—large and open. They didn’t look like that now though. Now they were narrowed tightly at her and sparked something dangerous. Kagome pushed out her fear and opted to focus on the anger that still bubbles right under the surface. She spit at him. But she didn’t have much saliva in her mouth and that only led to the glob landing a foot in front of her shoes.

Inuyasha snorted humorlessly, “Let’s go over what we know then, shall we? You see this picture, I tell you it’s my parents and some friends, you lose your mind and attack me.” He paused to see how she reacted to his synopsis. Nothing. Inuyasha looked back at the photograph. It was a memento of purpose. To remind Inuyasha what he was fighting for was the same thing his parents had fought for. He knew that the “friends” were Souta and Asako Higurashi: founding members of the Shikon Rebellion. And all four of them had died trying to get justice. Each time Inuyasha looked at this picture he only saw his mother. But now he was forced to figure out what this photo meant to Kagome. 

Inuyasha moved his gaze from his mother to the other woman in the photo. She was small and lithe with a fierce look in her eye despite her bright smile. Not unlike the one that was trying to burn a hole in his head at that very moment… It wasn’t until his eyes moved to the taller man next to the dark haired woman. As he analyzed the man’s face, it didn’t take Inuyasha long to see the similarities. The skin tone, the nose, the shoulders and,  _ fuck _ , their steel blue eyes they were the exact same. Realization hit him like a train.

Kagome distracted herself by trying to rip the duct tape from her body. It only resulted in chaffing and more anger sizzling through her. She didn’t even notice Inuyasha’s silence for the last 3 minutes as she tried to rip the tape unsuccessfully. It wasn’t until his next statement that she finally focused on him again. “Personally I like Kagome Higurashi. Has a nice ring to it.” Kagome inhaled through her nose and she felt the resistance of the tape on her chest. “I should give you more credit  _ sir _ , you’re not as dumb as I thought you were.” Of fucking course he figured it out, she let her emotions get the best of her and she showed her hand.

“You make me blush,” he flashed his teeth and Kagome felt like she was prey being stalked, “So tell me why this picture set you off.” There was no point in hiding the truth now, she was already caught so she might as well get as much information out of him before he killed her, “Your father is the one who murdered my parents.” Kagome’s voice was louder now, more bold in the face of death. Inuyasha’s cheek twitched but he kept his voice even, “You don't know what you’re talking about.”

“I don't?!” Fury burst through her chest and she tried to lunge forward, “Because I watched it with my own fucking eyes!” Inuyasha had never seen this side of Kagome. She was like a wild animal in a locked cage. Of course she was restrained but the rage burning through her eyes told Inuyasha something snapped. With sheer force she was able to scratch the chair closer to him while still trying to free herself, reiki pushing against the submission necklace. 

“My father was a daiyoukai. He would have smelled you and murdered you as well if he was acting on his own accord.” His voice was too even—too calm—it was scratching at her skin. 

She roared, “Should I have thanked him?!” 

“I’m saying he was possessed. By Naraku. Who was unable to smell the scents of your house to know you were even there.”

Kagome paused, her eyes searching for any hint of a lie, “Why would you say that?”

“Because I saw it with _my_ own eyes.” Inuyasha didn’t take his amber eyes off of her, “I had to watch _my_ _father_ take my mother’s life. And when his youki finally expelled Naraku from his body he died protecting me. I was ten.” Kagome’s eyes darted back and forth between his, panicking. _No_ _that couldn’t be true._

“And then I watched him do it again. To Kikyo.” Kikyo. God he hadn’t said her name in years and it felt foreign on his tongue. It had been even longer since he retold the story of what happened that night. 

“She-“ Inuyasha swallowed, “she was a member. A miko. Strong, but still inexperienced in her powers. Naraku possessed her to-“ he paused again, shifting his eyes, “to try and purify me. When he couldn’t control her reiki, Kikyo was able to expel him. But- he killed her before we could finish him off.”

Kagome’s stomach dropped. The way Inuyasha spoke of this Kikyo, Kagome knew she wasn’t  _ just  _ a member. The hot rage that had been flowing so freely through her was seeping away to something that felt a lot more like ice cold dread. Inuyasha was telling the truth, she could feel it in her bones. But  _ fuck, _ she wished he wasn’t. Anger was so much easier for her. She didn’t want to deal with whatever  _ this _ was now. She had tried to kill him. She had tried to kill him  _ without _ the influence of Naraku. She was going to be sick.

The sudden shift of Kagome’s scent told Inuyasha his words had gotten through her wall of rage. The twinging smell of guilt and angst wafting off her skin was bittersweet. He had suffered a great deal at the hands of Naraku and he was sorry to see Kagome was another one of his victims. 

“Naraku went after Kikyo because of her spiritual powers and I know he’s going to come up with a plan to do the same thing to you.”

Kagome felt like she couldn’t breathe, “He will be dead before he even hits the ground.” She needed to be mad at someone and Naraku was the perfect vessel.

Inuyasha’s brows furrowed together in worry, “I’m serious Kagome.”

Kagome’s once roaring voice was now reduced to a pathetic whimper, “We have taken out each and every one of his people without issue.” Was she trying to convince Inuyasha or herself?

“But they aren’t him. There’s a reason he’s been around for so long.” Inuyasha did not waver. He was strong and solid and Kagome couldn’t understand  _ how _ after everything Naraku had taken from him. Kagome slumped back into the chair, exhausted. All her carefully organized compartmentalized boxes had burst open and her body was fading fast. This was one of the longest nights of her life and sunrise wasn’t for hours. 

“I’m sorry.” An unfamiliar sensation overcame Kagome. Her throat ached and acid ran down her arms to pool in her wrists. Her tired eyes brimmed with tears for the second time that night but she didn’t have enough strength to stop them from falling this time. 

Inuyasha hated the scent of tears. It only reminded him of his last moments with his mother. But actually  _ seeing _ Kagome’s tears...Inuyasha breathed as his youki stirred, yearning to comfort her. The hanyou stood from his chair, walked slowly towards Kagome and then carefully cut her restraints with his claws. But she didn’t move. “There is nothing to apologize for.” Inuyasha murmured.

She looked up at him and her eyes screamed  _ that’s not true _ but all she said was, “I should go.” Again, she didn’t move.

He crouched down to her level. He put his hand on the side of her face and grazed his thumb across her check, smearing the tears there, “Stay.”

She looked up at him and stared into his eyes. How, _ after all that _ , could he still look at her like that? Her lip quivered, feeling another wave of dread and turned into his hand to hide the evidence. He picked her up from the chair. He put her arms around his neck and she continued to shield her face from him as if he couldn’t smell her sadness or feel the dampness on his throat. She didn’t even have the strength to wrap her legs around him so he held them in place for her.


	12. Chapter 12

The last thing Kagome remembered before falling asleep was the feeling of Inuyasha’s claws slowly dragging patterns along her bare back. But her body didn’t cooperate for long. Inuyasha noticed Kagome had only been asleep for two hours when she jerked awake, fists coming up as if ready for a fight. “You’re ok, you’re ok.” Inuyasha’s whispered voice grounded her and the memories of the night slammed into Kagome painfully. And then the exhaustion kicked in, “Did I wake you?”

“No.” He didn’t have to say he had never fallen asleep, she knew. The pair remained silent. Kagome’s eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness -- Inuyasha was rolled towards her, his head resting on his fist as he stared down at her. His bed smelled exactly like him and she couldn’t help taking a deep, calming breath.

“Do you want to talk about it?” his voice mumbled through the air.

“Not really.” She replied. Inuyasha stayed silent, letting her make the decision.

Kagome blew a breath out through her nose, “My parents established the Shikon Rebellion before I was born. We lived at our family’s shrine. My father had some reiki but I was apparently the one blessed with the ancestral power. My father must have known at the time but he never spoke to me about it. I had no idea. I went to school and rode bikes with my friends and did chores around the shrine. It was painfully  _ normal _ . I was 8 when-.” Kagome cut herself off. Every memory and emotion she had locked away in those boxes were now freely swirling through her mind and she felt like she was drowning. “My mother hid me in the vent in the kitchen. My dad had prepared me for something like that to happen. I got on a train and met Mushin and Miroku in the northern woods. I trained there for twenty years. And then Mushin died. I knew I had to come back. All I wanted to do was find their killer. Nothing else in life mattered. Miroku kept surveillance on the Militia’s movements and I knew getting a job at Slayers would get me close to Sango. I thought you would have information or files or- or  _ something _ about my parents. About what happened to them. Be careful what you wish for I guess.” Kagome snorted humorlessly and turned her head into the pillow more.

“We will take down Naraku and you will get justice for your parents. We both will.” He was no longer touching her and she didn’t know how to feel about it. So instead, she said, “Tell me about your parents.”

Inuyasha inhaled and scraped his fingers through the hair at his temple, “The thing I remember most about my father was how strong he was. He seemed invincible, nothing could hurt him. But when he looked at my mother, he was the weakest man in the world for her. I didn’t understand at ten years old but their love was something otherworldly. My mom, she...she was my best friend. People were cruel to her, to me. But she did everything to protect me from their hate. She was beautiful and kind and warm and-“ His voice had slowly grown more and more dejected to the point it was hurting Kagome too. She reached up and wrapped her arm around Inuyasha’s neck. It didn’t take much to bring him down to lay on her chest. His weight on top of her was comforting. And then he slid an arm under her back and pulled her even tighter to him before he continued. “When she died I felt like all the light left my life. I only wanted to hurt everyone the way I had been hurt. My brother used that to train me to be a machine. I followed orders without hesitation, trying to inflict as much hurt as possible. It took me a long time to see past the pain, to see what my parents had been fighting for.” He stopped then and Kagome didn't speak. “There is so much bad in this world. I never want any child to feel what I felt. And if I die, maybe I’ll have made a little difference. Maybe it will have been worth it.”

Kagome’s fingers made their way under his shirt and her blunt nails mimicked the comforting movements she had fallen asleep to. “You’ve already done so much good. I thought The Militia was selfish and power hungry before I came here. But seeing you- I know what we’re doing is right. There has been evil here for too long. It needs to be balanced.”

They laid in silence after that -- Inuyasha breathing into Kagome’s neck and Kagome drawing listless patterning into the taut skin of his back.

“What time is it?” She didn’t know if he was asleep or not.

“4:35.” He answered.

“I’m late to meet Shippo.” She could miss one day.

Suddenly Inuyasha bolted up and away from her, “Fuck!” He swore and started stumbling around in the darkness.

“What?” Kagome asked in alarm.

“The ring. Our  _ scents _ .”

“Fuck, no no  _ no _ .” She stammered and then scrambled for her own clothes. She got her leggings on with little difficulty but couldn’t find her shirt in the dim light. She grabbed the first one she did find and wasn't surprised when it was clearly Inuyasha’s. Halfway to the gym Kagome realized they were both barefoot. When the pair burst through the gym door Kagome was overwhelmed by the scent of bleach. Inuyasha instantly gagged and covered his nose with his forearm. Shippo was on his hands and knees in the middle of the sparring ring. Scrubbing.

“You two!” He yelled pointing at the couple. 

* * *

Kagome didn’t know what was worse: Shippo  _ knowing _ , Shippo and Inuyasha arguing or the smell of bleach. But once the yelling started she silently excused herself before the two demons noticed. She also made the executive decision to skip training for the day. A few members were up quietly milling about the house but no one from her suite. Kagome made her way upstairs to one of the tv rooms and hid out until she knew the girls would be at morning workouts. After a quick but thorough shower, Kagome climbed into her bed and fell asleep.

* * *

Kagome woke up to a still empty room. When she checked her phone she knew everyone would still be training out back. She was not in the mood to train, least of all  _ talk _ to anyone. So she left. Sure it was against the rules to leave before your shift ended but she assumed her  _ doting _ Captain would be fine with it just this once. When she arrived back at an empty apartment she remembered her and Miroku had driven together. Oh well, he was resourceful.

Kagome had never felt this tired in her life. The last twelve hours--fuck--she felt like she lived an entire lifetime in the last twelve hours. She just wanted to distance herself from last night. And sleep was the only way she knew she could do that. So Kagome popped a few milligrams of melatonin and a Xanax for good measure and crawled into bed. Her mind was fighting against itself. Part of it was screaming at her to come to terms with everything that happened and the other part was focusing on every meditation skill she had, waiting for her adjusted circadian rhythm to take over. 

The first time Kagome woke up was because she had to pee. She didn’t even open her eyes as she stumbled down the hall. The second time she woke up it was to Miroku yelling her name. She groaned loud enough for him to know she was alive and then rolled over. The third and final time Kagome woke up she felt hazy but rested. Everything was dark and she shuffled around in search of her iPhone. Dead. After reaching over the side of the bed to fish out her fallen charging cord, Kagome was blinded by the home screen’s brightness. There was a red bubble in the corner of her Messages and Call app but she just ignored them. She concentrated on refocusing her vision to see the time: 2:52am. That was the most sleep she’s gotten in years. And now she was fucking starving.

* * *

When Miroku did wake up later that morning, he gave her the space she desired. He was always good about that. The Xanax had worn off hours ago but because she rarely took the medication, the after effects were still making her feel fuzzy. Kagome debated calling in sick to her shift at Slayers but the mindless work of making drinks sounded like a good distraction. She had felt rested at three that morning when she had woken up but now it was past 9pm and the exhaustion was catching up to her again. Maybe that was why she didn’t sense Inuyasha’s youki until it was smacking her in the face as he walked through the front door. This was the first time she had ever seen him at Slayers and it was exactly what she did not need. And then his amber eyes found hers. She looked back down at the vodka bottle in her hand and pretended to be doing something below the counter. Kagome only looked back up when she sensed Kouga walking up to the bar, “Hey Kagome. Can I get three Blue Moons?” She popped the top off of the beer bottles and slid them over to the wolf demon. Her eyes slanted over to where Miroku was sitting in a booth with Inuyasha (where she presumed Kouga would be taking the drinks) before she accepted the bills Kouga had handed her. She expected him to mention her lack of appearance at work outs the day before but maybe he knew more than he let on.

For the next hour Kagome filled drink orders, wiped down the bar and actively avoided looking anywhere near Inuyasha’s table. But when she saw him stand out of her peripherals her body went rigid. She did not have the emotional capacity to make small talk with him right now. He was headed for the bar but before he was within speaking distance Kagome yelled over to Kohaku “Haku! I’m going on my break!” She retreated to the back of the building before she even heard a reply.

_ ‘You’re a coward. You can’t just run away from him. God you’re so awkward. Ughhh. Just relax. Act normal. Act cool.’  _ Kagome paced in the back alley behind Slayers biding her time until she had to return to work.  _ ‘This is so stupid. How am I supposed to act around him? So we had sex again. Yes, ok that happened. And he invited me to his place. Ok so round two…? And then I quite literally tried to murder him ok...fucking hell. Fucking bitch. Do I say  _ sorry _? Fuc-’ _

Suddenly the back door burst open and Kagome jumped, “Fucking hell!”

Inuyasha gave her a confused look and then looked around, his ponytail swishing behind him, “What’s wrong?”

“You can’t sneak up on a girl like that!” Kagome accused. 

Inuyasha’s look turned even more confused. No one snuck up on Kagome, least of all someone with demonic energy.

“So, uh,” Kagome started slowly. He noticed her fiddling with her work shirt, pulling at it and dusting it off, “...what’s up?” She wouldn’t look directly at him. Now Inuyasha had to chuckle at her behavior, “What are you doing?” Kagome folded and unfolded her arms, clearly trying to look casual and failing miserably, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She replied nonchalantly. Inuyasha could smell her stress but her behavior was amusing. Furrowing his brows and smirking at her, he stepped closer, “You smell  _ nervous _ Kagome.” A fang poked out when he saw Kagome glare and step back from him. “Why would I be nervous?” She matched each step he took towards her until her back hit the wall of the building behind her. 

“Hmm...do  _ I _ make you nervous?” Inuyasha moved closer like a predator stalking its prey. He stopped when her chest brushed his with her inhale. Kagome continued to glare. 

“Have dinner with me. Tomorrow night.” 

Her glare turned into shock, “ _ What? _ ”

“I want to take you out. Properly.”

“On a  _ date _ ?” She asked incredulously. 

“On a date.” He confirmed.

“Since when are you a gentleman?” Kagome laughed in disbelief.

Inuyasha leaned his forearm on the wall effectively boxing Kagome in, “Oh Sweetness, I’m  _ always _ a gentleman.” The wicked grin he gave her said differently.

Kagome looked up at him, her lips parting in surprise. His amber eyes glowed even in the dingy light of the back alley and Kagome felt herself lean into his warm body. And then she regained her concentration and pushed him back, “Wait. What are we doing?”

Inuyasha moved away willingly, “Well I was thinking about kissing you.” He ruffled his fringe as he scratched his forehead.

Kagome furrowed her brows, “Inuyasha-“

“What’s the problem?” He cut her off.

“I tried to  _ kill _ you!” Kagome walked down the alley, putting more distance between them.

“A misunderstanding.” He casually waved off. She flipped around and threw her arms out in disbelief. Inuyasha slowly walked towards her again. “I know you feel it too. This is something real.” His hand gestured between them. Kagome looked away. She didn’t know what she was feeling. She didn’t know what any of this meant. And the look in Inuyasha’s eyes was only confusing her more. This time as he moved into her space she did not retreat. His hand cupped her cheek and turned her to look at him.

“What? You want me to be your- your  _ girlfriend _ ?” The smirk that bloomed across his face was enough of an answer. “How would that even work?” Kagome asked skeptically. “We start with dinner. Tomorrow. Seven o’clock work for you?”

* * *

Kagome expected Inuyasha to drive an expensive sports car or, hell, even a motorcycle. She did not imagine him in a pickup truck. But, shit, when he jumped out of it in his dark, fitted jeans and black leather jacket Kagome was all of the sudden ready to blast some country music. She watched through the window and admired his long silver hair, half of which was up in a bun at the back of his head and gave off strong Norse god vibes. She felt hot and backed away before he saw her peeping at him. She checked herself one more time in the entryway mirror and smoothed down the non-existent flyways of her curled hair. Kagome had plenty of ‘dressy’ clothes but she had only ever used them for girls night out with Sango. But now, when she was faced with an actual date with an actual guy, everything seemed wrong. She begrudgingly settled on a tight black skirt and a long sleeved emerald green blouse with black ankle booties.

Thankfully, the apartment was empty as Kagome had not-so-slyly dropped the hint that Sango would be keeping bar at Slayers tonight to Miroku. He was out of the house just after sunset. Keeping their friends out of whatever this was would be best, for now. The knock on the door shouldn’t have surprised Kagome but she jumped all the same. And then scolded herself for throwing all of her training out the window. She knew Inuyasha would be able to smell all of her emotions so she did her best to remember her meditation techniques. But then she opened the door and he was grinning at her like Cheshire Cat and her stomach flipped.

“Aren’t you a pretty little thing.” His voice dark and smooth and Kagome felt her skin flush. This shit was all so much easier when they were just flirting at the compound.

The restaurant was nice. Not so nice that jeans were out of place but nice enough that the filet mignon was $80. Who was she kidding? This was the nicest restaurant Kagome had ever been in. She didn’t know what to expect. Sex wasn’t the only thing she never experienced growing up. 

After she moved in with Mushin, Kagome never took advantage of the opportunities to interact with kids her age. It took years just to be able to cope with her PTSD and making friends was low on her list of importance. If anything she was lucky she didn’t have  _ more _ social anxiety issues. Mushin home schooled them but Miroku had always tried to rebel against the sheltered lifestyle. He always volunteered to run to town for errands and Kagome never thought anything of it. And then he started sneaking out and coming back at all hours of the night. Kagome wasn’t stupid, she knew what alcohol smelled like. Miroku also was not sly. And so when she walked in on him one night with one foot out his bedroom window he invited her to join him. Looking back he was probably just trying to buy her silence. The one and only time she joined Miroku on one of his late night excursions Kagome found herself surrounded by drunk high school kids with a lukewarm beer in her hand. Everything had started fine. Well not great since Miroku ditched her for some pretty cheerleader the moment they walked in, but she was enjoying the music. Then a cute boy came up to her. He asked Kagome her name and leaned against the wall next to her. She didn’t like how close he was but the gross beer she forced herself to drink had fuzzed her mind into thinking it was normal. Kagome didn’t flinch when his hand touched her arm or when he twirled some of her hair but then he leaned closer and his hand moved down her neck to her chest and his lips were suddenly on hers. Kagome panicked and grabbed his middle and ring fingers and pulled them back with an audible crack. He yelped in pain and Kagome ran. She never went out with Miroku again. 

The older she got the more often she went to town. Whether it was to shop or just get out of the house. But she never felt comfortable there, not like Miroku. Eyes followed her everywhere she went and it unnerved her. Being surrounded by the townsfolk was one thing but she couldn’t handle the attention for long. It was rare that someone would speak to her and Kagome  _ tried _ her best to follow the social cues but it was just easier to avoid. 

So there was no wonder she had no idea how to navigate a romantic date. Unlike those townies, she liked Inuyasha and  _ wanted _ to talk to him. But there was all this pressure now. Before, it was all about the mission. She knew how to manipulate and coerce but now she had to be—wanted to be—genuine. Yeah she read plenty of books and watched movies but those weren’t always realistic. And the internet wasn’t much help either. It had all the advice in the world about losing your virginity but dating, apparently, was a highly debated topic. Let the man lead but not dominate the conversation, open up to him but keep some mystery, avoid tough subjects but see if your core values and beliefs line up, the man should pay but don’t expect him to. Kagome was skilled in four different fighting styles, countless weapons and could take down a demon with her bare hands. But  _ dating _ ? How did dating make her hands this fucking sweaty?

Despite all her nervousness, their dinner conversation never wavered. Inuyasha told her about growing up down the street from Sango and his long history with Shippo. She told him about Miroku as a teenager and the beauty of the woods she used to live in. They laughed a lot and Kagome’s eyes sparkled in the table’s candlelight. She was clearly enjoying herself. And when Inuyasha casually reached across the table to hold her hand in the middle of one of his stories, she couldn’t help the blush creeping up her neck. Her nerves were still on the edge of her mind but, for once, she actually felt normal. Sitting in a nice restaurant with a hot guy: she guessed this was what other 20-something women felt like—just living their lives. And it was...refreshing.

Spring was still a little ways off and when they walked outside Kagome was snuggled up in Inuyasha’s leather jacket before she could even complain about the temperature. It was worn and warm and smelled just like him. She even kept it on throughout the drive. When Inuyasha pulled into a strip mall parking lot Kagome was silently confused. She had just assumed he was taking her home now. But the sign in front of them read  _ Color Me Mine. _

“How are your painting skills?” He asked as he turned off the truck.

“Um, subpar at best.” It turns out it was one of those ceramic paint places. Customers choose a piece of pottery, paint it however they want and then pick it up a week later after it's been fired in the kiln. “How about this? I’ll paint something for you and you can paint something for me?” Inuyasha suggested with a competitive smirk on his face. Kagome looked over his handsome face, contemplating, “Fine, but no crying when you go home with something ugly.” She looked around the store and then picked up a few old catalogs on the paint station and brought them to a table to set up as makeshift barriers for them to keep their work a surprise. With it being a Wednesday night, Kagome and Inuyasha were the only ones in the place besides the single employee. After showing them where everything was, the eccentric girl put her headphones in and started working on some complicated piece at the back desk.

Kagome had no idea what she wanted to paint, or how she wanted to paint it. Inuyasha was already at the table hunched over his piece with a concentrated look on his face. After a few more laps she realized what she could do and grabbed a bowl off the shelf and hid it behind her back.

* * *

“You go first.”

“No, you go.”

“Ok on the count of three. One, two, three.”

Kagome looked down at the pink coffee mug in Inuyasha’s hand. On the front was a black letter K with the right lines becoming an arrowhead pointed to the left. “I tried to find a pink that matched the color of your reiki and mugs are always hard to come by in the kitchen so at least you’ll know this one is yours.” Kagome stared at the mug in awe and then up at Inuyasha. It was so simple but, “I love it,” she whispered. Inuyasha tried to hide his grin, “Ok your turn!” He reached his hands out in a grabbing motion. Kagome lowered her faux shield to reveal a red bowl. And then she tipped it towards him and the inside was painted like water with three goldfish swimming around. “For your ramen. Or cereal.” She chuckled.

“Subpar my ass? This is way better than mine!” Inuyasha picked it up to examine it closer. Kagome couldn’t help the smile coming to her lips at his enthusiasm. They gave the employee their pieces and she gave them a tag with their pick up date.

Inuyasha drove slowly through the city of Shikon back towards Kagome’s apartment. The music was playing low in the background and the heater was lulling Kagome into a relaxed state. Gone was her anxiety from earlier, replaced with warm content. When Inuyasha pulled into the parking lot, Kagome noticed Miroku’s car was still gone and she was able to enjoy her date for a little bit longer. Inuyasha put his truck in park but didn’t turn it off. Kagome looked over at him, her head resting against the headrest languidly. 

“So, what do you want to do,” Inuyasha gestured between them, “about us?”

Who knew a simple question could put Kagome back on alert again? “We’re hanging out, maybe kissing, whatever.” she said, trying to act nonchalant and failing miserably. 

Inuyasha snorted, “Well I’m not going to be hanging out, maybe kissing or  _ whatever _ ing with anyone else. And I hope you don’t either.” His amber eyes stared at her hard.

Kagome jolted up, “No! I just meant- ugh! I’m not good at this.” She covered her face, “This is so embarrassing.” she mumbled into her hands. 

“Hey, hey, you’re fine.” Inuyasha reached over and pulled her hands down and away from her face. “I will do whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable.”

“What do people even  _ do _ in relationships?  _ Is _ this a relationship? Is it too early for that?” Kagome’s words were coming out too fast.

“We don’t have to label anything if you don’t want to. But I would say that people in relationships enjoy spending time together, they’re honest with each other, maybe they have shared hobbies.”

“What is important to  _ you _ in a relationship?”

“I mean, yeah those things, sure. I want honesty and transparency. I don’t want to play mind games. I want to spend quality time but I think  _ how  _ that time is spent is more important. I want to laugh and forget about all the darkness in the world for a little while. I want someone who sees me for who I really am and still sticks around.” 

“Yeah...that does sound nice.”

“And sometimes,” Inuyasha’s voice lowered and Kagome was drawn in, “when the darkness gets too close, I want someone to be my light.” There was so much vulnerability in his eyes and Kagome couldn’t look away. She understood. And she wanted that too.

She whispered, “Ok.” and it sounded like a promise.

Inuyasha’s seat belt was unbuckled in an instant and the pair were leaning over the center console to meet. His fingers splayed into the hair at her temples and scratched her scalp with his claws. Between that and the heat still coming from the vents, Kagome sighed into the kiss and relaxed even more.

When Kagome laid her head down that night—her lips still deliciously tender—for the first time in a long time she felt light, she felt hope. 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I feel about the flow of this chapter. Or lack thereof. But the desire to update was stronger that the desire to rework it.

It was Kagome’s day off. So why the fuck was her phone vibrating? It was still dark outside and her eyes squinted at the message on her too-bright screen. Her agitation only slightly diminished seeing it was from Inuyasha. 

>> _ Did you see the news? _

Naraku’s big initiative this term was police reform. Except ‘reform’ made it sound like he was fixing a problem. In reality, Naraku was militarizing the police and increasing their presence in poor youkai neighborhoods. The history of demons and humans was messy and complicated. Hundreds of years ago they lived completely separate and rarely interacted. Demon culture was very traditional and they had no use for humans which was fine because humans were terrified of them. Unfortunately, fear was a strong driving emotion and it only took a handful of weaker demons attacking villages for humans to mobilize and start hunting youkai as a preventative measure. The demon population had always been smaller than the human one and, no matter the rumors around the communities, youkai were  _ not _ invincible. 

After decades of unjust and unprosecuted murders the youkai population dwindled even more. And then activists spoke up and the world started to change. And so with it the stigmas of integrated societies. But Shikon had been a stronghold. They had been on the precipice of a revolution and they could have tipped either way with the slightest push. Enter Onigumo Naraku. He was appointed Lieutenant Governor and a month later the Governor passed away in his sleep. Yeah, it was suspicious as fuck. Once in power, Naraku fed on the fear some humans still harbored towards demons and used it to fuel a human-first agenda. His administration spread thinly veiled racist propaganda and gave a charismatic figurehead to the human supremacists. Countless issues cropped up that previous legislature had outlawed—housing discrimination, biracial relationship prejudice and segregated schools. 

It was the last one that caused the protest the previous night. Naraku had made a few comments in interviews about the benefits of “cultural learning” but the community wasn’t stupid. And so a protest was held outside the state education building. Humans and demons gathered together peacefully to show their dissent against this archaic and racist idea. Then the police showed up. In riot gear. The videos circulating the internet were hard for Kagome to watch. Pepper spray and flashbangs could heavily affect any human but, to a youkai’s advanced senses, they could be deadly. And then there had been a scuffle between two counter protesters and when the police stepped in it resulted in a human officer shooting a 26 year old male panther youkai in the back. The outrage was instantaneous and wide spread. The side that blindly supported the police argued that ‘if he had just cooperated’, ‘if he had just followed the law’,  _ if he had just _ blah blah fucking blah. 

It made Kagome sick. She closed the news app and reopened her messages. 

_ <<Just saw. It’s only going to get worse the longer Naraku is in power. What's the next move? _

Kagome couldn’t help the protesters on the streets but she sure as hell could fuck with any behind the scenes plans Naraku had. 

>> _ We have members scouting the supremacist groups. We’ll send them in with covers if need be.  _

<< _ And Naraku? _

>> _ We train until we have a mission.  _

Kagome huffed in annoyance but felt her phone vibrate again before she could reply.

>> _ Relax. I’m waiting for intel.  _

<<“ _ Relax” is not in my vocabulary when people are literally dying _

>> _ We are doing everything we can. _

>> _ How about I distract you? _

<< _ What does that even mean? _

>> _ Come over _

<< _ Isn’t it a little early in the morning for a booty call? _

>> _ Jesus woman _

Kagome was still on edge from the news but focused her mind on what Inuyasha had said. It had been two weeks since their date and they hadn’t had much (ok, any) alone time since then. They were both already spread thin before they started this...relationship? (That word still made her uncomfortable but Inuyasha coming to her apartment while Miroku was home was exponentially worse.)

<< _ I have to train with Miroku _

>> _ Totosai’s Grill  _

_ >>12:30 _

Kagome recognized the command and resisted a smirk.

<< _ yes sir _

* * *

Kagome wasn't expecting March’s weather to be so sunny. So when Rin got a morning mission assignment to a Heritage Alliance rally, Kagome jumped at the chance to tag along. ‘Heritage Alliance’ aka the human supremacist group that had grown emboldened by Naraku’s human-first agenda. The group had gotten even more obnoxious after the shooting of the panther demon a few weeks before. 

Everything looked like a normal Saturday morning until Rin parked the SUV two blocks from the state Capitol. Kagome walked around the back of the car and was met with a hat being shoved into her chest by her roommate. It was bright red with a Shikon state flag embroidered onto it. She threw her hair into a ponytail and threaded it through the hat and put her sunglasses on to try and blend in. As the two approached the Capitol steps, there were humans everywhere, far more than Kagome expected. Many of them were carrying Heritage Alliance flags or cardboard signs and some were even wearing ill fitting tactical gear with rifles strung across their bodies. 

“Blend in, I’m going around the perimeter.” Rin mumbled and then she was gone. 

Kagome knew she wasn’t in danger but she did feel uncomfortable being in the middle of this shit show. Some sixty year old human with a white goatee was yelling into a bullhorn but he clearly didn’t know how the device worked because it kept cutting out and screeching with feedback. The crowd was chanting nonsense and there didn’t seem to be any direction to the madness. Kagome searched the auras of the people around her and she was glad she couldn’t sense anyone with demonic energy. At least there wouldn’t be any more fights. An uptake in cheering drew Kagome’s eyes back to the Capitol steps. A group had just exited the Capitol building and was heading towards the man with the bullhorn. It seemed strange to Kagome that any employees were working during the weekend. Until the crowd around her started chanting together, “NAR-A-KU! NAR-A-KU! NAR-A-KU!” Kagome’s heart rate picked up as she scanned the faces of the new arrivals. She had looked through thousands of pictures on the internet and it didn’t take long to find the man in charge. He was the one currently taking the bullhorn from the organizer.

“Thank you all for coming out today and exercising your first amendment rights.” More cheering erupted and Kagome assessed Naraku more closely. He was even more slimy in person. His long hair was styled back into a wavy ponytail and his suit was immaculate as usual. “I love to see the passion of our community fighting for what is important to them.” But something was off. Kagome search’s his aura and...he wasn’t fully human.  _ What the fuck?  _ Kagome had never felt anything like him before. It’s like he was fuzzy to her and she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what his youki was. But one thing was clear,  _ I bet his devoted followers would fucking love to know he isn’t human.  _ Kagome thought bitterly. She was glaring at him from behind her shades, imagining a world where she could announce his fraud to the world (and someone would actually care), when suddenly his eyes were boring into hers. Ice flowed down her spine and she could no longer hear the people around her.  _ “I will do everything in my power to take down those who oppose us.”  _ His voice flowed through her and it was like he was speaking directly to her. Kagome’s vision tunneled and she was suddenly an eight year old in a vent again. Kagome didn’t know how long it lasted but when her eyes finally cleared, Naraku and his entourage were headed back into the state building and the people around her were celebrating. 

Rin appeared next to her as if by magic, “I got what I needed. You ready?”

“Yup.”

* * *

Kagome had been the textbook definition of careful the past month. She never invited Inuyasha over to her apartment unless she was sure Miroku was out of the house for a long period of time (Kagome had her own theories of where  _ he _ was going). And she refused to go to his place while she was on shift. That left them—currently—in the target range, together, alone and trying to focus on hitting the bullseye and  _ not  _ the person standing next to them. 

They had just finished another round and as Inuyasha walked towards the wooden target to retrieve his knives, Kagome called out, “Do you trust me?” His posture didn’t change. He didn’t tighten up or stutter step. His shoulders just remained relaxed as he removed the blades from the target. And even though she had lied to him countless times, Kagome wasn’t surprised to hear him say “Yes,” without hesitation. 

“Let’s play a game.”

Inuyasha turned with an interested look in his eyes. Kagome was tossing a small knife in her right hand and arched a challenging brow at him. He understood immediately and chuckled. “Trying to give me a haircut?”

“Only if you flinch.” 

Inuyasha dropped his set of knives and backed up against the wooden wall used as the target. He could tell she was trying not to smile as she readied her first blade. Without warning, she let it fly.  _ Thud.  _ It stuck in the wood a foot from Inuyasha’s elbow. He scoffed, “ _ Come on. _ You can get closer than tha-.”

_ Thud. Thud.  _ Two more knives were impaled into the wood, one on each side of Inuyasha’s shoulders, before he could finish his thought. Kagome’s steel eyes sparkled at him and Inuyasha couldn’t help the grin coming to his lips, “That the best you got?” He jeered. Kagome’s eyes darkened and her tongue ran across her teeth. Even from this distance, Inuyasha could smell the tell tale hints of spice wafting off of her. 

Without taking her eyes off of him, she held a knife in each hand, reared back and let them fly.  _ Thud.  _ If Inuyasha’s hair hadn’t been tied back, the blades now above his shoulders would have cut off a good chunk. It was one of the most impressive things he’s seen in a while. And Kagome didn’t even look like she was aiming. 

She was trouble. 

_ Fuck.  _

_ He _ was in trouble. 

Kagome paused in her onslaught to smirk at him. He loved her confidence, how she carried herself. He loved how strong she was and he fucking loved how she looked with a knife in her hand. And, unsurprisingly, his gym shorts were starting to feel a little tight. He tried to adjust them without disturbing the knives lodged into the wood around him but Kagome—of course—noticed. Her cocky smirk turned absolutely devious as she spun a knife around her finger, “Problem?” She called down range to him. 

“Fucking tease.” Inuyasha mumbled. His eyes tracked the last knife as her fingers nimbly twirled it. Kagome laughed and the sound reverberated off the concrete walls of the range. If he didn’t have demonic vision he never would have seen the last knife after it left her hand. But to him, it was like it was moving in slow motion. This one was aimed higher. At his head. He resisted the instinct to move, to dodge it. Air swooshed loudly in his ears and then  _ thud.  _ Without moving, he knew the blade was sticking in the wood above his head, right between his ears. His amber eyes refocused on Kagome’s face and he was met with her self-satisfied glee. And then he snapped. 

Using his enhanced speed, Inuyasha was across the range in half a second. He wrapped his arms around Kagome and her feet no longer touched the ground. The world around her blurred but she felt solid in his arms. When his movement suddenly stopped, her stomach took an extra second to right itself. Inuyasha’s house front door slammed behind them and Kagome was pushed up against it roughly. Inuyasha had her wrists pinned above her head and his fangs scraped down her throat, “You think you’re so cute,“ his voice was so harsh, “Teasing me—taunting me.” His other hand moved down Kagome’s body to push against the tight fabric of her leggings. “Is this what you wanted?”

There was a fleeting thought of  _ how had she waited twenty-eight years to do this? _ but they were quickly replaced by her brain refocusing on Inuyasha’s hand dipping below her waistband and she choked out a “Yes.”

“Yes  _ what?”  _ He bit back, pausing his movements.

“Yes  _ sir _ .” Inuyasha had hated her calling him that months ago. It represented lies and resentment and guilt. But now _ , now,  _ with her like putty in his hands, her center already dripping wet around his fingers, his inner youkai viciously stirred at her obedient submission.

“That’s right, sweet girl.” His carnal praise heated her skin and Kagome felt her inner muscles clench further. Being dominated by him--it was something she had never experienced. She had kept a strict control over herself for far too long. It was exhausting. But not with him. She wanted him to take over. To take care of her.

* * *

One hour and four orgasms between the two of them later, Inuyasha’s house was effectively scented with their intercourse and Kagome was panting on his bed. And the bastard just smirked down as if he could go another round. The haze around her last orgasm finally cleared and Kagome realized what they just did. Even with a shower, any demon would be able to smell what happened between them tonight.  _ Dammit.  _ Kagome rolled over, buried her face into his duvet and groaned loudly.

“If it was so bad, I can always try again.” Inuyasha joked as his hand smoothed down her bare back. He couldn’t help touching her. All he wanted to do was touch her.

“My scent, you idiot.”

Inuyasha leaned over her and pressed his nose into her hair over her bare shoulder, “I think you smell amazing.” His voice was dark and Kagome had to really focus on her grievance or they would only make it worse.

Kagome rolled again out of reach of his touch and gathered a blanket over her naked body, “You know what I mean. Every youkai is going to know.”

Inuyasha paused for a moment and focused back on her face, “Yes, but don’t forget my heritage. It's in my nature to want you marked with my scent. I want every demon in the tri county area to know whose bed you sleep in.”

Kagome cocked a brow playfully, “Yours, hmm?”

Inuyasha rubbed his hand over his mouth, “Is that too possessive?” Was that self-consciousness she was sensing? 

Kagome answered his question with one of her own, “So you’re fine with all the youkai  _ members _ knowing what’s going on between us? That’s not a conflict of interest?”

Inuyasha scoffed, “To be honest, I don’t give a flying fuck what they think except that you’re off limits.” He watched as Kagome rolled her eyes but still looked worried. He continued to look across his crumpled bed sheets at her and his heart pulled at some unknown force. Even though his inu blood wanted his scent covering every inch of her, she was worried and the instinct to comfort her was stronger. 

Kagome watched as Inuyasha got out of bed, threw on his discarded sweats and left the room. Her worry only duplicated as she thought she had said something to insult him. She didn’t know how to navigate this situation! She was effectively sleeping with her  _ boss _ and didn’t want to make this harder on either of them! When she heard him rummaging around in his den, her worry turned to curiosity. And when he returned with two bracelets in his hands, Kagome quickly understood. She was glaringly familiar with the scent concealing jewelry but she just never thought to use them for personal reasons.

Inuyasha returned to the bed and kneeled in front of Kagome’s now sitting form. He took one bracelet and slid it on his wrist and then took the second one and her hand, “I want you to know that I would scream my feelings about you from every rooftop in Shikon. But I will wear this until you’re comfortable with that idea.” And then he slipped the bracelet over her hand. Kagome felt no different, just like every other time she wore the jewelry. But the response from Inuyasha was instantaneous. A groan that bordered on a whimper escaped his throat, quickly followed by a forced cough. Kagome smiled up at him. She knew this was hard for him, “Thank you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his body back down on top of hers.

“But I swear, if Bankotsu looks at your ass one more time I can’t be held responsible for what happens to him,” Inuyasha grumbled into her neck, searching for his scent that was no longer detectable.

Kagome laughed and slipped the bracelet back off of her wrist behind his back. She laughed harder when the hanyou on top of her noticeably relaxed and buried his nose deeper into her throat.

“That’s my good girl.”

* * *

Now that they had the bracelets, Kagome was far more liberal with seeing Inuyasha at the compound. They had even created their own little stealthy routine this last month. Business as usual until bedtime when Kagome would wait until all her roommates were asleep and then Inuyasha would text her when the downstairs was empty so she could sneak over to his place. They had to wake up early enough for training anyways that no one was ever the wiser.

Tonight the couple was snuggled up on Inuyasha’s couch, a fire blazing in the hearth and  _ The Princess Switch: Switched Again  _ queued up on Netflix. Vanessa Hudgens really was unmatched in these holiday rom coms. But instead of starting the cheesy film, the two were in a  _ heated _ discussion.

“The ramen? Really?” Kagome asked in confused humor.

“And you had that baggy t-shirt on with those little shorts.” Inuyasha groaned at the memory and bit his lip, “I could have taken you on that kitchen island if you just said the word.” Kagome didn’t miss the sideways glance he gave her. She bit the pad of her thumb slyly as she contemplated a new setting for their more pleasurable activities. But then asked the question she had been wondering for months instead, “Tell me what you thought of the hotel room.”

Inuyasha sat up straighter and looked at her more seriously. “I knew I was in trouble the moment you kissed me.” 

Kagome didn’t know if she blushed from his words or what she was about to ask, “Did I do an ok job?” She inwardly cursed at how stupid she sounded.

Inuyasha quickly remembered that Kagome was not as experienced as she came across. _ But, fuck, was all the practice paying off. _ “I can, without a doubt, tell you you were the most perfect thing that night. Replaying it-” Inuyasha groaned again and scrubbed his face, “let’s just say, my thoughts of you after that night were not always so honorable.”

Kagome snorted to try and cover the aggressive blush sneaking up her neck and face. Apparently, they were putting everything out there tonight so why not ask the other question that had been plaguing her? “Is it common for your youki to take over?” She had never had sex with a hanyou (or anyone else for that matter) and demon fornication was  _ not  _ in Mushin’s education syllabus. She hadn’t felt his youki again like she had the first night so she was curious. 

Confusion suddenly replaced the teasing grin on Inuyasha's face, “What are you talking about?” His voice was as serious as his expression.

Kagome knew something was wrong but now she was even more curious, “That first time, when you were, um...behind me.”  _ damn this fucking blush on her face, _ “I felt your energy, like you were transforming into a full demon.” 

Inuyasha pulled back from her in panic. “What?!”

Kagome didn’t like the new space between them, “You didn’t know?” she asked.

“No.” Inuyasha looked away from her in shame but Kagome resisted the urge to comfort him, “I usually have a good hold on it. But you- I- did I hurt you?”

“Quite literally the opposite.” She teased trying to lighten the mood. Inuyasha inhaled through his nostrils and his youki stirred within him just like before. Kagome sensed it and looked at him with interest. 

“I- my inner demon...ugh, he- me-  _ I,  _ um…” Kagome stayed silent. “Jesus, it is too soon to have this conversation.” He mumbled and then Kagome knew.

“Your youkai wants to bite me.” Saying the M word was just a little  _ too _ much for her right now.  The alarmed look on Inuyasha’s face told her he thought the same thing. When he stood from the couch and started pacing in front of the fire, Kagome could only watch. After what felt like an eternity of silence she added, “I used some reiki before you could.” As if that would help the situation.

Inuyasha’s hands came up and rubbed vigorously at his face, his hair, his neck. He never stopped moving, but he also refused to look at Kagome. She hated this. She hated the visible stress he was under and she hated that she didn’t know what to do. But she tried again, “I don’t know anything about demon, um,  _ practices _ . Will you tell me about them?”

Kagome really didn’t expect him to respond as quickly as he did, “Inu youkai are a little different than other demons when it comes to- to ugh…” God it was too early to be having  _ this _ conversation, “...mating.” Goosebumps shot down Kagome’s legs at the taboo word but she forced herself to focus. “There are signs to help us realize who our true mate is—scent is a big one.”  _ Check _ he thought anxiously. “But the biggest indicator is during sex. We can still enjoy sex with someone who isn’t our mate but when it’s with  _ them _ it’s...different.” His voice was hollow, like he was repeating something he read in a textbook.

“Different how?” Kagome whispered. 

Inuyasha stopped his indecent pacing and barely turned his head towards her, “Like fire is flowing through my veins in the best type of way.” Kagome swallowed. She didn’t miss the ‘ _ my’  _ he used, “Oh.”

Inuyasha sighed, they were already having the discussion so why hold back now? He turned fully to Kagome now. He stood in front of the fire and the light illuminated his body to something otherworldly, “My demon accepted you that first night. Well  _ accepted _ isn’t the word I should use. More like demanded.  _ Demands _ that I mark you every time we’re together.”

Kagome’s throat was painfully dry, “And how do  _ you  _ feel?” she managed to croak out. Inuyasha took a step forward. She was happy to see the shame and stress gone from his shoulders but if he came any closer, she wouldn’t be able to think straight.

“I should clarify that my inner demon and I are the same. He can be a bit more  _ adamant  _ but we want the same thing.” Kagome inhaled sharply. “I know that’s a lot!” Inuyasha rushed out and kneeled in front of Kagome before she could respond. “I don’t expect anything from you. I won’t do anything, I promise.”

Kagome looked at him. Really looked at him. He was so gorgeous it was stupid. But what was taking her breath away wasn’t how he looked, but how he looked at  _ her. _ Solar systems and galaxies swirled in his amber eyes promising her  _ more.  _ And maybe, for the first time, that didn’t terrify her, “And what if I wanted you to?” Inuyasha visibly recoiled at her question but she continued, “I don’t know anything about love. About being  _ in _ love. But I want to. I’m not saying I’m ready... _ yet _ but-“ 

Inuyasha surged forward to kiss her, “I will wait as long as you need.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy 2021! My apologies for taking so long on this chapter. I've been feeling like shit lately (don't worry I didn't get COVID) but I have definitely not been motivated to write. I also read a couple very shitty romance novels and I realized they will publish anything these days. Why do so many book have horrible rapey undertones?!?! Anyway, I do absolutely plan to finish this story sometime in 2021 (hopefully before summer) but who knows when that will be. Reviews always help! And you can follow me on tumblr for more updates. Username s3nie.

**My demon accepted you that first night.**

_ The first night? How is that even possible? _

**Well accepted isn’t the word I should use. More like demanded.**

_ Fucking hell. Why am I even surprised by demonology anymore? I know enough about them that this is just another thing to file under: Yeah So Apparently This Happens. _

**_Demands_ ** **that I mark you every time we’re together.**

_ Well maybe I should be impressed by his restraint. He probably wasn’t expecting it the first night and that’s why- fucking bitch, what if he just loses control one day? No. No, he wouldn’t do that without my consent. Right? _

**There are signs to help us realize who our** **_true mate_ ** **is**

The words rang in Kagome’s mind like the bells of Notre Dame.  _ Holy fuck. Hoooly fuck. I feel like I can’t breathe. True- fucking fuck. Breathe. In, out, in, out. _

To say she was freaking out was an understatement. Kagome had been replaying Inuyasha’s words over and over again in her head since he had said them the night before. This was endgame for him.  _ She  _ was endgame. Sure, she liked him. Like  _ really  _ liked him. And she was open to the idea of love. She hadn’t lied when she said that to him. But the weight of  _ forever _ now sat heavy on her chest.

_ He’s the only one I’ve ever been with. And, let’s be honest, the first time’s consent was dubious at best. What if my body is just releasing some attachment hormone everytime we have sex? Oxy...oxy-something. Oxytocin! Yeah. Oh my god. What if I just like having sex? Oh my god. Oh my- ok ok. Picture someone else. Think about being with someone else, easy. Ok… _

Her thoughts trailed off and her mind began flashing pictures of other men she knew. Finally she settled on an image of Bankotsu. Apparently he found her attractive. And he wasn’t bad looking. She had seen him shirtless countless times so conjuring that image was easy. Then she pictured his arms wrapping around her, laying her down, his mouth dipping to hers- The image was pushed out of her mind by a visceral reaction shooting through her and clustering in her gut. The pain was gone within two breaths.  _ Ok that was weird. I’ll just try someone else.  _ This time she pictures Suikotsu instead. Her walking into the medical wing, him above her on one of the beds, his fingers- The sting in her abdomen was back with a vengeance.  _ Make up you’re fucking mind then!  _ She screamed at herself. She couldn’t be both terrified of a future with Inuyasha and physically pained by the idea of being with anyone else. That couldn’t be fair. And now the guilt of picturing herself with someone other than Inuyasha filled the space in her stomach where the pain had been. 

_ Think rationally. He didn’t say  _ love _. He never used that word. He just said that his demon accepted me. Those are instincts he can’t control. Centuries of youkai heritage lining up is some kismet no one can predict. He doesn’t  _ love _ me. _

She was horrified of hurting him. What if he did eventually fall in love with her? (If he wasn’t already). What if she couldn’t get there? Couldn’t return his feelings? How would it feel if his true mate rejected him?

“Kagome!” The urgency in Inuyasha’s voice snapped Kagome back to reality and to the task at hand. Her guns were held loosely in her hands, barely even raised in a ready position. It hadn’t even been 24 hours after their conversation when Inuyasha got the intel about Naraku he was waiting on. And that brought Kagome, Sango, Kouga and Inuyasha to a logging company near the eastern woods. The place was a front for Naraku’s drug running and their information said a large shipment was going out in the morning. They needed to destroy it before that happened.

“Get your head out of your ass!” Inuyasha did not sound happy. Which was understandable. Kagome had completely zoned out in the middle of a mission and had no idea what was happening.  _ Son of a bitch. _ She quickly tightened her hold on her weapons and used her reiki to pinpoint their target: Byakuya.

Before she could take proper aim at him. Kouga ran into her line of sight. “What the hell, get out of the way.” Kagome said in annoyance and tried to sidestep the wolf youkai. Kouga only moved with her, blocking her clean shot at Byakuya. Kagome was about to curse at him when she saw his claws raise and come down across her chest. Because of how her arms were positioned, he only managed to graze her collarbone but it was enough to split open the skin. With a pained cry, Kagome dropped the gun in her left hand and stumbled back. She turned to Kouga accusingly and noticed the ripple of youki around him and the unfamiliar feeling of it.  _ I’m so fucking stupid.  _ Kagome raised her other firearm and shot off half her clip at Byakuya’s illusion. The illusion disappeared at her purified bullets but Kagome didn’t notice. The pain from her wound was screaming at her. She dropped to her knees and scrambled to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. She knew it wasn’t deep, she would be fine after a couple dozen stitches, but fuck it hurt.

“Kagome? Kagome?!” This time it was Sango yelling her name. The last thing Kagome saw was a large origami swan.  _ What the fuck?  _ And then everything went dark.

* * *

Sango had seen Byakuya’s illusion. They all had. Expect Kagome. Something was off with her tonight and she was vulnerable. And Byakuya had seen that. Using Kouga’s image was smart. Kagome had no clue. And then she was dropping to her knees, blood dripping down her chest. From her distance, Sango couldn’t see where Kagome’s injury was. She just hopped it wasn’t her heart. Youkai blood could do a lot, but it couldn’t fix a punctured heart.

Sango ran towards her friend, yelling her name; Inuyasha and Kouga could take care of Byakuya. Sango watched as Kagome slowly lost consciousness and her torso fell into the sawdust covered dirt beneath her. When Sango got to her friend, she quickly rolled her over, the last thing she needed was a wound full of dirt. Taking gauze from a pouch on her belt, Sango patted at the blood, looking for the depth of the injury. It wasn’t good, but Kagome would survive. But they needed to get her back to the compound. Fast.

“Inuyasha, we need to take care of this and get her back to medical!” Sango yelled across the yard, trying to convey the urgency of the situation. By the sound of her grumbles, Sango knew Kagome was floating on the cusp consciousness. But the pulses of demonic energy rippling through the lumber yard was far more concerning than her injured friend. Sango’s eyes darted around the three demons trying to see where the energy was coming from. Byakuya was hovering above the piles of timber in his swan but, strangely, Kouga had lowered his guard and was yelling at Inuyasha. Sango’s eyes followed Kouga’s to the hanyou. But, standing there, was an Inuyasha she did not recognize. 

Glowing red eyes, jagged purple stripes on his cheek bones and a wicked smile bearing his elongated canines. The growl that emitted from his chest reverberated off each surface. 

Sango watched in nervous fascination as Inuyasha leaped for Byakuya, slicing through his origami easily with his sharpened claws. The illusionist was not expecting such a savage attack from an even more powerful Inuyasha and was barely quick enough to draw the sword from the sheath on his back. But on his first swing, Inuyasha easily caught the blade between his hands, twisting it out of Byakuya’s grip and turning it on him. The motion was so quick, Sango’s human eyes barely tracked them. The next thing she heard was the squelch of Byakuya’s own weapon piercing through his chest, dropping him to his knees. Whatever magic encased the sword destroyed any of Byakuya’s youki and Sango watched as he slowly turned to dust.

A charged silence filled the air in the lumber yard. And then Kagome moaned, turning every eye to her, including the blood red pair. Sango’s head whipped back down to Kagome, whose face was contorted clearly in pain and then back to Inuyasha. Said demon sneered and flexed his bloodied claws at his side before he shot off in a sprint towards the two women. Sango panicked. She had discarded her hiraikotsu when she had approached Kagome and now it was out of her reach. She wanted to cry out for Kouga but terror had frozen her vocal cords. Sango’s body was useless to her as she watched, as if in slow motion, Inuyasha dart across the small distance and slide to a stop a foot from her and Kagome. Fearing the worst, Sango instinctively drew Kagome closer to herself, as if she could shield her from the feral inuyoukai. Another pained groan escaped through Kagome’s lips at the movement and Inuyasha snarled in fury.

Fuck her chest hurt. It felt like her collar bone had taken the wrong end of a cheese grater. But something else was pushing harder than the pain signals wracking through Kagome’s brain. An abundance of youki was flooding around her and igniting her fight or flight systems back into consciousness. It was strong. Stronger than anything she had felt in a long time. But it didn’t feel  _ dangerous _ , necessarily. If anything, it was almost familiar to her. She felt an involuntary groan scratch past her dry throat as she tried to open her eyes. The few flood lights around the property had her recoiling before she was able to make out the shapes around her. A gutteral snarl drew her still-clearing vision to the figure looming over her. More of her senses returned as her surroundings sharpened. She was on the ground, but propped up. She felt damp but she couldn’t tell if it was blood or cooling sweat. And Inuyasha was glaring down at her with bright red scleras and cyan irises. 

Lavender seemed like too sweet of a word to describe the color of the markings on his cheek bones but Kagome couldn’t get it out of her head. She always loved the smell of lavender and once, when she was a teenager, she had gone to an outdoor market where one of the stands was selling lavender lemonade. It had been delicious and suddenly Kagome was very thirsty for it again. Maybe she could find a recipe online for it. Maybe Inuyasha would know of a lavender farm in the countryside. She should ask him.

“Inu-” fuck her throat was dry. Right, that’s why she was asking about the lavender. “Inu...yash-”

Even at Kagome’s labored words, Sango refused to take her eyes off of Inuyasha towering over them. Not even ten seconds had passed but they were dragging on for Sango as she anticipated Inuyasha tearing them apart like he had done to Byakuya’s swan. But, the moment he registered Kagome’s attempt at his name, Inuyasha’s scleras bled back to white and amber slowly returned to surround his pupils. Sango’s eyes darted across Inuyasha’s face as she watched him transform. His canines receded along with his claws. The only thing that remained from his youki was the purple marks on his cheeks. Without a word, Inuyasha bent down, gingerly scooped Kagome into his arms and spoke, “Kouga drives.”

The ride back to the compound was painfully tense. Sango sat in the front while Kouga drove. She didn’t dare turn around to see what was going on behind her but Kouga’s quick glances in the rearview mirror gave her solace that he was keeping an eye on the pair. She assumed Kagome was drifting in and out of consciousness as her mumbles were few and far between. And, everytime, Inuyasha would speak to her in a voice so low Sango could not comprehend his words. She was sure Kouga’s wolf ears could but that was a conversation for another day.

Kouga hadn’t even pulled the SUV to a full stop before Inuyasha had bolted from the car with Kagome still secured in his arms. Sango knew he was headed to Suikotsu in Medical. And she would just have to wait to hear a report on her friend’s health.

* * *

Lunch had finished hours ago and there was still no sight of Kagome. Sango found herself pacing her room with Rin and Ayame both trying to talk her down.

“If you’re so worried, just go down to Medical and see her.” Rin spoke from her position on her bed.

“I told you, Kouga spoke to Inuyasha and she’s fine. Why are you being so weird about this?” Ayame questioned now.

Sango hadn’t told the girls about Inuyasha’s transformation. It was a possibility that Ayame knew from Kouga, but it wasn’t Sango’s place to disclose that information. And because she hadn’t told them of Inuyasha’s youki, she hadn’t told them about Kagome appeasing his demon blood and calming him back into his hanyou state. The only people she could talk to about this were Inuyasha (hah, yeah right) and Kagome. She wanted to give Kagome time to heal before she brought up the subject. Sango also didn’t want to run into Inuyasha before she got the truth from her friend. Sango was so preoccupied with chewing the skin off of her thumb pad that she didn’t notice the suite door open until Ayame jumped down from her bunk, “Kagome! How are you feeling?” Sango whipped her head towards the door.

Kagome was dressed in a white t-shirt and gray sweats, both looking too big for her. She shrugged her uninjured shoulder, “Just a little sluggish, but all healthy according to the doc. I should be back at training in two days.”

“Well we’re glad you’re ok. This one hasn’t stopped pacing since morning workouts.” Rin threw a thumb in Sango’s direction. Kagome looked over at her friend and smiled kindly at her.

“Aw Sango, were you worried about little ol’ me?” Kagome teased lightly.

“Kagome, can we talk?”

Kagome quirked a brow, “Are you breaking up with me?” Rin snickered but Sango’s face only remained stoic. Kagome’s humor faded, “What’s going on? Are  _ you _ ok?”

“Yeah! Yeah! Of course. I’m fine!” Sango’s voice was far too loud.

“Then why are you yelling?” Ayame asked, suspiciously.

“What is going on?” Kagome looked to the other girls in the room, both just shrugged, just as lost as her.

“Fine!” Sango turned her full attention to Kagome, “What the hell happened last night?” She lowered her voice as if that would help their privacy.

“What do you mean?” Kagome tilted her head.

“Don’t play dumb. Inuyasha fell off his rocker when you went down.”

Kagome froze, easily understanding Sango’s implication, “Ok? He just cares about his members.”

“Is something going on? Between you guys?”

Before Kagome could think of a believable response, Rin laughed, “Sango I’m surprised it’s taken you  _ this long  _ to notice.”

Sango pinned the girl with a look, “ _ What?”  _

Rin waved her hand dismissively,  _ “ _ Please. You don’t notice how Yash gets in the gym whenever Bankotsu is within five feet of her? He’s got it bad. Congrats Kags, dog demons are very  _ attentive.”  _ Rin winked at her and Kagome couldn’t help the blush that burst across her face. When Ayame looked away, trying to hide her snicker, Sango turned on her too, “You knew too?” Sango shouted.

Ayame took a deep breath, “Her scent hasn’t been in her bed for weeks. I knew she wasn’t sleeping  _ here _ and no one in the house smelled like her. Then I noticed the bracelets.” Kagome put her arm behind her back, trying to hide the evidence that Ayame had clearly already seen.

“And you guys didn’t tell me? How am I the only one who didn’t know?! Is this a good idea Kagome?” Sango eyes darted between all three of her roommates to finally land on Kagome.

Kagome, not one to be put on the spot, fired back, “You’re the one who set it up in the very beginning! Besides,  _ you _ initiated Miroku!”

Quickly forgetting her interrogation, Sango gasped, “How do you know that?!” 

Kagome smirked victoriously, “You just told me.” This time Rin and Ayame didn’t hold back their laughter.

“Sango if you think me and every other youkai in this place  _ didn’t _ know about you and the monk then you’re not as smart as I thought you were.”

It was Sango’s turn to blush now, “Fuck you guys.” She mumbled, arms crossing her chest.

Rin, still giggling, said, “If it makes you feel better, Sesshornaru initiated me.”

“And Kouga initiated me.” Ayame added.

Sango scrubbed her hand over her still red face, “What the fuck? Have we all just fallen in love with our initiators?” 

“ _ Love _ ? Wow Sango you really just told on yourself like that?” Ayame teased which caused Sango to spiral, “Shut up! That’s not- that’s not what I meant!”

Feeling bad for her friend, Rin tried to avert the conversation, “Maybe that was the founding members' plan all along? Because they were all couples too, right?” She suggested.    
  


One thing Kagome always remembered about her parents was how much they loved each other. They took love very seriously. And they instilled that in her at a young age. Even though she could not agree or condon the initiation process, maybe… “Maybe this was their way of connecting couples over a common cause. To strengthen the bond for the resistance.” 

“Doesn’t that seem problematic?” Sango deadpanned. The short answer was yes, fucking definitely. 

“Well it worked.” Rin shrugged.

“Not for everybody.” Sango argued back.

Ayame jumped in, “No, but not including us four, there’s like six other couples throughout the organization. That’s a good chunk of our membership. What are the odds that they all initiated each other? And have you noticed that once you’re in a relationship, Shippo never assigns you to an initiation? Be honest, doesn’t it make you fight harder but also smarter? Like you have something to protect. Something to come home to?”

“Maybe we just lucked out with hot initiators.” Kagome mumbled.

“Well that didn’t hurt.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know how many of you have been watching Yashahime but if you have and follow any Inuyasha fandom stuff online (tumblr, reddit) you are probably aware of the SessRin shippers/antis drama. I’m going to try and put my thoughts delicately...Last chapter I implied that Sess and Rin are together in this story. But I am not a SessRin canon shipper. I started watching Inuyasha when it first came out in the early 2000s and I was a preteen. Yes do the math, I am that old. And SessRin actually being canon never crossed my mind. Maybe I have justified adding them into the background of my stories because I write Alternate Universes and Rin didn’t meet him when she was a literal child in my stuff. I stopped watching Yashahime weeks ago but I’ve seen the screenshots on tumblr and know what has happened. And honestly, shit grosses me out. But honestly I don’t give a shit about the weird fighting that’s happening on tumblr. If you ship them and that’s a hill you want to die on, do you. I literally only wanted to see InuKag being adorable parents and Moroha getting the love she deserves so someone let me know if that shit ever fucking happens! Sesshomaru won’t actually make an appearance in this story but this chapter does have a conversation between Kagome and Rin regarding the “true mate” situation. If you want to skip it, go for it. You won’t really miss anything. 
> 
> Anyway, on with the last (traditional) chapter of this story!

It hadn’t even taken a week for Kagome to be back at her full strength after her injury. And, she had to admit, it was nice not to have to sneak around her friends anymore when it came to Inuyasha. She hadn’t discussed the true mate issue with the girls but Kagome knew that was what triggered Inuyasha into his full youkai state that night. Maybe the girls had their suspicions too, especially Ayame, but Kagome wasn’t about to acknowledge it. 

Thankfully, Inuyasha never broached the topic either. She did, however, tell him that her roommates were not as unobservant as they thought and had known about them for a while. The devious grin on his face told her he wasn’t sorry. 

A few more weeks passed and Kagome found herself sleeping in Inuyasha’s bed more often than her own. On her very rare days off from her duties to the Militia  _ and  _ Slayers Kagome could be found lounging around Inuyasha’s townhouse, eating his food, wearing his oversized sweats and watching trashy tv all day. The Real Housewives’ lives were so different from her own that it was a nice escape from her reality. And when Inuyasha would return he would indulge her shitty taste in television long enough to worm his way past her borrowed clothes to the warm skin beneath and find a new way to make her toes curl. Kagome was satisfied, in every sense of the word. But even though her and Inuyasha never spoke about the obvious mating elephants in the room, the idea never quite left Kagome’s mind. Maybe she was scared. Maybe she was embarrassed. Either way, she had always been good at compartmentalizing her emotions so why should this be any different? But still, she had questions... 

_ <<Can I talk to you? _

_ >>Sure, I know this great taco place for lunch. Meet in the garage in 10? _

As the waiter walked away with their orders Kagome turned to Rin. Who was already staring at her with a curious expression. Kagome took a deep breath, pushing her anxiety away and asked, “Ok. So...I don’t know if this is too personal of a question but...are you and Sesshomaru…?” Kagome left her sentence hanging, hoping Rin would fill in the gaps. Rin just furrowed her brow in questioning amusement but didn’t cut in to save Kagome. The girl swallowed and tried again, “Um, are you his- have you guys- um…” 

Even though Rin was enjoying Kagome’s struggle she finally offered, “Am I his true mate? And have we gone through the ceremony?”

“There’s a  _ ceremony _ ?” Kagome’s blatant shock was enough to start Rin’s laughter. Kagome could only cover her burning face in mortification. 

“Yes there’s a ceremony. But no we haven’t gone through with it.”

Kagome’s wrists were stinging with sharp pin pricks. A side effect, she had come to learn, of excess tension in her shoulders. She tried to discreetly rub the sensation away while trying to focus on getting enough oxygen to her brain. All while Rin’s big brown eyes continued to stare at her. Kagome knew the girl was perceptive but at this moment she just wanted a second to freak the fuck out in peace. Reaching for her glass of water, Kagome tried to chase the dry feeling on her tongue away. She drained the entire glass within seconds, some of it dribbling down her chin.

A little humor was still dancing in Rin’s eyes but her overall demeanor had shifted to one of sympathy. Before Kagome could think of literally anything to say, she spoke, “When a human mates with a demon, there is a transfer of power. They will then share a life force so the human can live as long as their demon partner. And every demon in a twenty mile radius would know that human was mated and who they are mated to. As you can imagine, that poses some issues in the world we are living in. You know first hand the shit that Naraku does. He’s a vengful man and he fucking  _ hates _ Sesshormaru. If he and I were to go through with the ceremony now, it would put us both in a vulnerable position. Sesshomaru is virtually impossible to kill, but  _ me _ , even with some of Sesshomaru’s power I could be easily killed by one of Naraku’s sympathizers. And if I died…”

“Sesshormaru would too?”

“It wouldn’t be instant. But yes.” Sadness flowed through Kagome at Rin’s words. “Inuyoukai also take mating very seriously. Once the ceremony happens, the demon partner’s sole focus would be on their counterpart, especially if they’re human. To protect them, provide for them, you get the idea. We can’t afford for Sesshomaru to be distracted right now. And I would never forgive myself if I was the cause of that distraction. He’s already disturbed by my role in the gang, always going on and on about danger or whatever like I’m so helpless.” Rin mumbled begrudgingly, “But he respects my wishes to continue our work and trusts Inuyasha to have my best interest in mind. But if and when we do mate, Sessh would never allow another demon to protect what is ‘his’.” Rin added the air quotes. 

“That sounds...fucking intense.” Kagome exhaled.

Rin shrugged, “Yeah I guess so but there’s nothing I want more than to be his mate. And, I mean, yeah, make sure Naraku burns in hell and all that.”

Kagome, feeding off of Rin’s vulnerability, asked, “Did you ever feel like your choice was taken from you?”

Rin looked away thoughtfully, “That’s a great question. But honestly, no. Although a human's instincts are nowhere near a youkai’s, let alone a dog’s, I always knew. From the moment I met him, something was different. Like  _ cosmically _ different and, I don’t know, I just felt whole. And when he finally told me about it, I was relieved. I wasn’t crazy or obsessive, my soul was just reaching out to his and it was consuming me.” Rin’s smile told Kagome everything she needed to know. 

“So I'm assuming Inuyasha is…” Rin implied. 

“That’s what he says.” Kagome whispered. 

Rin's smile grew into a beam, but it faltered for a moment seeing Kagome’s unease, “And you think he could be wrong?”

“I don’t know  _ what _ to think.” How could Inuyasha be so sure and she was left drowning in doubt?

Rin reached across the table to her. “I know it seems scary right now but your soul was  _ made _ for Inuyasha, and his for you. Nothing could be better than that.” Kagome politely smiled at Rin’s optimism. 

* * *

Kagome’s phone vibrated on the ground next to Inuyasha’s sitting form. She was behind him on the couch finger combing through his silky, silver hair as they caught up on the newest episodes of Real Housewives of Atlanta. He still complained but he was just as enthralled by the women’s drama as she was. Kagome laughed at his commentary on the current scene until her phone vibrated two more times. “Will you see who’s texting me?” 

When Inuyasha’s body went rigid beneath her, Kagome knew to mute the television. Inuyasha remained silent, staring down at the iPhone in his hands. Anxiety rushed through her expecting the worst. Was someone hurt? Sango was on shift at Slayers tonight, did something happen there?

“What is it?” Kagome tried to mask the urgency in her voice. Inuyasha just turned to lift the phone to her line of sight. Three text messages filled the screen:

_ >>Let’s talk about your parents.  _

_ >>Meet me where it all started. _

_ >>10pm _

Cold dread flowed down Kagome’s body as she read and reread the words over and over again.  _ Where it all started.  _ She knew instantly that this was Naraku contacting her. The cold sweat on her back appeared as if by magic but Kagome was just trying to swallow and form words. The five numbers at the top of the screen told her these messages were sent through a secure network and wouldn’t be traceable. 

_ The shrine. He has to mean the shrine. He wants me to go to the shine. To meet him. _

Kagome’s mind was going a mile a minute but she still couldn’t form verbal words. Until Inuyasha shot up and started moving around his home.

“Wha-” Kagome cleared her throat, “What are you doing?” It was weak but she knew he heard her. 

Inuyasha was checking every window and door, making sure they were locked, then he took out his own phone. “Shippo, code red. Lock it down. No one in or out.” He ended the call as soon as the words were out of his mouth and then dialed another number. “He made contact.” Pause. “I know.” Pause. “Ok.” Click. Kagome had stood and slowly made her way toward Inuyasha. When he whirled on her, she recognized the commanding look in his eyes as that of a leader. “Turn your cellular data and wifi off. Then turn off your phone.”

Kagome silently followed his instructions and then looked back into his amber eyes, “Are we going alone or do you want Kouga and Sango to come too?”

Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed, “We aren’t going anywhere.” His voice was made of steel.

Kagome recoiled, “What are you talking about? We  _ have _ to-”

Inuyasha stepped towards her, trying to box her in, “You are leaving this house over my dead fucking body Kagome.” Her heart rate increased as she felt the familiar energy of Inuyasha’s youki swirl around her. He was serious. 

But so was she. 

This was their chance to finally take out Naraku without this political entourage or media around. It was a trap. That was painfully obvious. But Kagome didn’t care. She could handle it. And if Inuyasha came with her, they would be unstoppable. Now she just had to convince  _ him _ of that. It was 9:00pm and it would likely take thirty minutes to get to her childhood home from the compound. If you add in gearing up for the inevitable fight, Kagome had about ten minutes to do that.

“I can defeat him. You know I can.”

“The only thing I  _ know  _ is I watched him possess and kill the last miko he feared. And I will not let him do that to you.”

“Then come with me.”

Inuyasha howled and the phone in his hand crumpled into a ball of metal and glass. “No! You can’t do this! He’s too strong!”

“You know I’m stronger. You  _ know _ I can do this. You’re just afraid.”

“ _ Of fucking course _ I’m afraid Kagome! I finally have you! I can’t lose you. I’ll-”

Kagome jumped in not wanting to hear him say it, “We haven’t gone through with the ceremony so our life forces are not tied together yet.”

Inuyasha instantly deflated, not expecting her to know about that. And even though they were arguing over something that could literally be life and death, his stupid fucking youkai brain was vibrating on Kagome’s use of the word  _ yet.  _ He didn’t know what to say. And Kagome took that opportunity, “You and I have seen first hand the destruction Naraku has caused and will continue to cause. Unless we  _ do _ something. We have been chipping away but this is it. We can finally end this. We can’t start our lives until we do. I am going. With or without you. But I hope you’ll join me.”

Inuyasha closed his eyes, unable to look at the determination on Kagome’s face any longer. He knew she was right. Fuck. But, behind his lids all he saw was the life leaving Kikyo’s body eight years ago. That had been the worst pain he had ever experienced. And he hadn’t been uncontrollably in love with Kikyo. He felt his youki pulsing through every inch of his body at just the thought of harm coming to Kagome.

Inuyasha sighed deeply and opened up his eyes, “I need to make a call.” Kagome looked down at the crushed ball that had once been his phone and then back up at him. Inuyasha snorted humorlessly, “Right. Fuck.”

* * *

To say the drive to her childhood home was tense would be the understatement of the fucking century. After Kagome had described the layout of the shrine and Inuyasha (begrudgingly) formed a loose plan for them, they were silent. And not the ‘we’ve been dating for months we’re so comfortable with each other’ silence. More like the ‘this is a huge turning point in our relationship and it [we] might not survive’’ silence. Kagome tried to push the tension between her and Inuyasha out of her mind and focus on her meditation. She had not been back to the Higurashi shrine since the day her parents were murdered. Being back could very easily trigger a traumatic flashback and Kagome’s mind needed to be ready to compartmentalize that until after Naraku was neutralized. 

There was only one entrance to the property and that was up the dozens of stairs and through the red torii at the top. Tonight Kagome was armed with the Higurashi bow and arrows. The set had been forged generations ago with ancestral reiki and was the best weapon to concentrate her own spiritual energy. Typically guns or knives did the job just fine, but tonight she would need every advantage she could get. At the top of the stairs, Kagome gripped the bow and string tighter, arrow at the ready. Even in the dark, even after all these years, it was all eerily familiar to Kagome. In front of the entrance stairs was the meditation garden with the shrine, well house and office to the left. Everything was unkempt and clearly neglected. A stab of guilt ran through her at the sight. But it was quickly replaced by the pull of the Goshinboku. The sacred tree sat to the left of the stairs and the shrine. As a child, Kagome always felt a connection to the tree but tonight, the spiritual energy was palpable. As if it were calling Kagome to it. The pull was so strong that Kagome’s foot took an involuntary step towards it, only to be stopped by Inuyasha’s clawed hand on her elbow. His other hand gripped the handle of the sword at his waist. Kagome had never seen the thing before as Inuyasha usually opted for firearms or his bare hands during missions. But she could feel the demonic energy coming from the weapon mixing with Inuyasha’s own. Between the tree, Inuyasha and Kagome trying to pinpoint Naraku, her focus was scattered.

Pulling Inuyasha along with her, Kagome continued towards the Goshinboku. The small pile of kindling burning at the foot of the tree was ominous enough, but the fact that Kagome couldn’t sense  _ anyone else  _ had every hair on her body standing straight up. The spring night was cool, the sounds around them echoing loudly through the open area. Inuyasha’s grip tightened on his sword, the noise of twisting leather reverberating around Kagome. They were twenty feet from the looming tree when a spiritual energy burst around Kagome like a lightning bolt. And with the onslaught of energy, a young miko with long gray hair and mischievous teal eyes walked from around the back of the tree. Inuyasha unsheathed his sword and it transformed into a blade ten times its size, “Who the fuck are you?”

Kagome had her arrow trained right between the miko’s eyes when white hot pain pulsed through her healed wound Byakuya had inflicted across her collarbone. Kagome grunted, her arms going slack and dropped to her knees. Her bow and arrows lay forgotten next to her. 

“Kagome? Kagome what’s happening?!” Inuyasha’s eyes darted between the woman struggling next to him and the powerful miko they faced. They couldn’t afford him taking his attention off of her.

“I- I don’t-” Talking was too much of a chore. Right now she was just focusing on keeping her vision clear. Her reiki was being surrounded by this other miko’s energy. It was dark and horrible and Kagome had never encountered something like it. Clearly, whoever this woman was, she had done enough in her life to snuff out any light in her spirit.

The dark miko sneered and spoke for the first time, “Oh, you’re a resilient one aren’t you?” Her voice was smooth and taunting, clearly unfazed by Kagome’s own strength. Kagome’s vision was growing darker by the moment and as she watched the gray haired woman give her wrist a final jerk, Kagome was thrown into darkness.

Kagome’s body went limp and as it was slumping to the ground, it stopped, mid air, as if she was being held by marionette strings. Inuyasha’s blood ran cold. He had seen this before. It was exactly what happened to Kikyo. And he wanted to fucking vomit.  _ No no no!  _ His mind screamed and his demonic energy swirled around him. He wouldn’t be able to hold off his inner demon for long but he had no idea what ramifications would come of killing this miko who had Kagome under her control. Inuyasha watched in horror as Kagome’s body was pulled back into a standing position, her bow and arrow floating back to her hands. But what made his chest tighten painfully was the emptiness in her stormy eyes. They were vacant. Staring right at him.

“Now what shall I do?” the miko laughed, “Kill her immediately? Or perhaps…” Inuyasha looked towards the woman at her pause. With a searing glare she smirked, “Should I make you suffer through a nostalgic nightmare?”

//

Everything was dark.  _ Fucking great. _ Kagome thought bitterly. She wasn’t unconscious because she had full autonomy over her body. Well her body in whatever dark pit that bitch had landed her in. She looked down at her hands, even her clothes were the same in this place.  _ Fun party trick. _ She felt weightless, but she was still able to turn and spin to check her surroundings. Not like it helped since there was nothing but fucking black space everywhere. She could feel the panic creeping in the longer she sat there, turning, hoping to find something. Until she stopped herself. She needed to meditate. Kagome closed her eyes and centered her reiki. It was still fully accessible to her which was more than good news. She breathed evenly and let her energy flow through every tendon and ligament throughout her body.

“Kill him.” A voice whispered around her. Kagome refused to open her eyes but answered back with her mind.  _ Who? _

“Kill him.” It repeated, still just a soft tickle in her ear.  _ Kill who?! _

“Kill Inuyasha.” This time the voice was different, louder and bone chillingly familiar. Kagome’s eyes flashed open and she was met with Naraku’s smiling face. He was dressed in loose clothing but his top was opened and revealed a red eye at the center of his chest.

“Naraku.” Kagome greeting in warning.

Naraku smiled sweetly at her glare, “Hello Kagome. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for long.”

“I’m here. Now what do you want?”

Naraku sighed and tisked at Kagome, “Your friends have been a bother to me these past few years, a thorn in my side. But it wasn’t until  _ you _ showed up that my patience started to wear thin.” Naraku tilted his head, and tapped his chin with a finger as if he was chastising a child. “You’ve caused me quite the trouble. Just like your idiot parents. I had hoped you would grow up to be smarter than they were. I even let you live just to give you a chance. You would have done  _ so well _ in this world if you hadn't let the mongrel corrupt you. Now look at us,” He clicked his tongue, “History repeating itself and  _ your _ pretty blood has to be spilled too.”

//

“I knew Kikyo all those years ago. Such a pity she let her powers weaken because she was infatuated with a  _ half-demon.”  _ Tsubaki, as the hag said her name was, continued to control Kagome’s body but now her tongue was looser and Inuyasha was holding out until he could figure out what to do. But he was running out of time as he watched Kagome’s arm nock an arrow and aim it right at him. Her movement was jerky and slow and sweat was dripping from her temple. The grimace on Kagome’s face told him she was fighting whatever spell this witch had put her under. He just needed more time. But the moment her blank eyes turned to him, an arrow ready to fly, Inuyasha was flashed back to Kikyo, in the same position. 

_ “Die Inuyasha!”  _ arrows rained down around him like a barrage.

If Tsubaki successfully killed him then there was no telling what would happen to Kagome. He readied himself and his sword to attack. Seeing that Kagome’s body was not obeying as much as the miko would like, this was his chance.

As if reading his mind, Tsubaki taunted, “If you kill me, she will be trapped in the recesses of her mind with Naraku for eternity.” Inuyasha froze,  _ What? No! _ “So choose Inuyasha. Will you be slain by your beloved or will you flea and save yourself?”

There was only one thing he could do. Turning back to Kagome and focusing on her reiki, he spoke.

//

Apparently Naraku fucking loved to hear himself talk. Maybe that’s why so many in politics were drawn to him. But he really had the cliche evil-villian-who-divulges-his-whole-plan down pat. Kagome had been anticipating his attack but he just wouldn’t shut up. And that’s when she heard it--a faint whisper, like the first voice she had heard here. But this voice was different, warmer. “ _ -gome, can you-” _

But Naraku’s voice overpowered the voice, “...and your pathetic-”

Kagome’s annoyance flared, “Shut up.” she grounded out, straining to hear the other voice again.

_ “I’m here. I’m right here-” _

“Who the fuck do you think you are talking to you stupid bit-” 

This time annoyance was replaced by hot fury as Naraku interrupted the comforting voice again. Kagome extended her right arm at Naraku and balled her fist. A gurgling sound was forced out of Naraku’s throat. “I  _ said  _ shut up.” Still holding onto Naraku with her powers, Kagome closed her eyes to try and focus on the voice.

_ “You don’t want to hurt me.” _

The words floated around her, cocooning her like a blanket. It was like she could feel them in her bones.  _ No I don’t think I do.  _ Where was this voice coming from? Who did it belong to?

Naraku struggled under Kagome’s hold. That fucking cunt Tsubaki told him she would not be able to access her reiki in this dimension. So what the fuck was this?! He didn’t know what was happening but clearly the little miko was hearing  _ something _ . And every few seconds, her hands were pulsing pink with barely contained spiritual energy. He needed to subdue her before she broke out of Tsubaki’s hold all together and he lost his chance. The red eye on his sternum glowed as eight white-gray spider legs emerged from it. Kagome’s eyes were still closed, the idiotic girl, this would be more than easy. Naraku poised one leg in the air, he would laugh if he had control over his vocal cords. No matter. The leg shot out, aimed at Kagome’s neck and-

Kagome subconsciously flicked the wrist on her free hand and Naraku’s attack was met with a bright pink barrier. He grunted in frustration and shot two more legs out in attack. And both were met with the same pink barrier. Pain shot up the appendages but Naraku was not deterred.

_ “Come back Kagome. Come back to me.”  _ Kagome couldn’t help the contented smile that bloomed across her face. The voice just sounded so  _ nice.  _ Like basking in the summer sun after being in a house with a too strong air conditioning unit. And when it said her name--a pleasurable shiver ran up her body and pooled right in her chest. There was a pull coming from deep inside of her. Like she was being called to this voice on a spiritual level. She had to find it.

_ “Please, just lower the bow. You don’t want to hurt me.”  _

At those words, Kagome’s soul flared and anger burst through her fingertips. A pained yelp was heard but Kagome ignored it. The memory of the text messages and the shrine and the gray haired miko slammed into Kagome and she knew exactly whose voice she was hearing. Naraku was somehow controlling her body to try and shoot Inuyasha?!

Fuck. That.

Kagome’s eyes opened into tiny slits and she used the rage running down her arms to tighten her grip on Naraku’s throat. The image of him struggling to breathe only stoked the fiery rampage inside her, “I’ve been waiting for this moment for way to fucking too long.” Kagome clapped her hands together and then slowly brought them apart with gnarled fingers. She felt the youki of Naraku’s spider legs flex and then tear apart from his body in a gruesome and bloody wrench. His screams filled the darkness around her but Kagome did not stop. As the legs disintegrated into dust, Kagome moved to Naraku’s other limbs. Taking his left arm and right leg under control with each of her hands, Kagome concentrated her reiki into Naraku’s being. His skin heated under her power and the smell of burning flesh assaulted her nose. And his agonizing screams never ceased. Maybe she tuned them out. Maybe she basked in them. Either way, with a satisfying twist, Naraku was down to only two appendages. 

Even through his tortured breathing, Naraku taunted, “I took your parents and now I’m going to take your mutt too. Maybe they would all still be alive if it weren’t for you. Can you live with that guilt Kagome?”

Kagome bared her teeth and snarled, “Do you ever just shut the fuck up?” Her reiki centralized in the palms of her hands in front of her chest, collecting and focusing into a bright pink ball before she unleashed it in an arrow right at Naraku’s throat, effectively severing his head from his body and bursting the two separate pieces into pink flames. His shrieks only lasted a moment before he was reduced to dust.

And then there was silence.

Kagome released a sigh and her shoulders relaxed. Her parents, Inuyasha’s parents, every person Naraku had ever hurt--this was a victory for all of them. And it felt fucking good. But right now, all she wanted was to get back to Inuyasha. Kagome closed her eyes and focused on the feeling she had tapped into earlier, of her soul flaring and looking for that warmth. THe warmth she now knew was Inuyasha. It was easier than she thought it was going to be. It felt like a weathered road she had traveled down a hundred times before. As she felt the darkness around her melt away, an easy smile crossed her lips.

_ Because of fucking course it’s this easy.  _

//

Inuyasha was babbling. He had no idea what he was saying to Kagome but it seemed to be working. Tsubaki still had not gained enough control over Kagome to make her release the arrow she had aimed at him. And the bitch was pissed about that. “Shut up you stupid half-breed! Fucking purify him already!” She screamed.

The expressions on Kagome’s face looked far more relaxed than it had five minutes ago as well. Her brows were no longer drawn together in tension and if he wasn’t delusional, she looked like she was...smiling?

“Kagome, please, I lo-” but Inuyasha cut himself off. Because in that exact moment, consciousness came back to Kagome’s stormy blue eyes and the smile on her lips spread into a full blown grin. Shock was written all over his face and he watched in slow motion as Kagome turned her arrow on Tsubaki, released it and the evil miko was engulfed in pink flames. If you had asked Inuyasha what happened to Tsubaki after that, he wouldn’t have been able to tell you because his vision tunneled into only seeing Kagome--Kagome with life in her eyes and full control over her own body. 

He rushed her, gripping her to him like a lifeline, molding her body to his like he was never going to let her go. Kagome’s legs wrapped around his midsection plastering their bodies together and relief flooded his system. His inner demon howled at the reunion and he felt a warm tug somewhere deep in his chest.

“I felt it, I felt it!” The words spilled from Kagome’s mouth in a stream. She kept repeating them but Inuyasha was too focused on her, being fully alive and safely in his arms. “Inuyasha! I felt it!” 

Finally able to speak, Inuyasha begrudgingly removed his face from her neck and asked, “What are you talking about? What happened to Naraku?”

Kagome rolled her eyes, “Oh, yeah I took care of him. Dead as a doornail.” Shock colored Inuyasha’s features but that wasn’t the point right now, she had to tell him, “But my soul! I  _ felt _ it reaching out to yours. I kept worrying that we weren’t true mates but I fel-” Kagome’s words were smothered by Inuyasha’s lips covering hers. One hand held the back of her head while the other pressed her hips closer to his torso. It was hot and passionate and ended far sooner than Kagome would have wanted but his next words seemed to be more important, “I’m in love with you.”

Kagome recoiled in his embrace, “Ok  _ woh _ , I literally  _ just  _ got accustomed to the true mate thing. Pump the brakes on the L word big shooter.” Inuyasha just laughed and pulled her back in for another kiss. And Kagome was happy to say, this one was far more satisfying than the first one. When her breath was heavy and her lips were swollen, Kagome brushed some of the hanyou’s silver hair out of his eyes, “Now what lover boy?” Inuyasha looked down at her, his amber eyes shining with love and adoration and all the shit she read about in romance novels and Kagome felt that warm pull of her soul again.

“I need to make a call.” Kagome reached into her back pocket to retrieve her iPhone and handed it to him. Recalling what exactly happened to  _ his  _ device, Inuyasha cursed, “Right.  _ Son of a bitch _ , remind me to have Shippo get me a new phone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Ok I finally wrote it. Thanks for sticking with me through this story. There is still an epilogue to write and post but I promise I won’t forget about it. I love the Inuyasha fandom and would love to write more fics in the future but I’ll just have to wait for inspiration! Follow me on tumblr (@s3nie) for any updates!


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